The Three Pillars of Arthritis

Senior citizens across the globe suffer from arthritis pain. That being said, you would think that the facts would be much clearer to the general public. There are many myths out there revolving around arthritis pain, making it difficult to truly understand how to shape your life around it and how to cope with the disorder.

Many people, young and old, are under the impression that only the senior population will have to deal with arthritis. This is not true. In fact, many people suffering from arthritis pain are under the age of 65. There are even children being diagnosed with the disorder. While it is true that development of arthritis is common in the elderly, it is by no means exclusive to them.

  

Arthritis is not just a disease of old age. Two-thirds of people with arthritis are under the age of 65, including 300,000 children. (Arthritis Foundation, 2013)

Arthritis is simply joint pain right? Also not true. Arthritis is a very complex disease of the musculoskeletal system, and it actually has several different branches. Knowing and understanding which branch of arthritis you are dealing with will make a huge impact on how you cope and how well you make the small modifications to your daily life so as to ease the arthritic pains.

The three most common branches of arthritis are probably the only forms we are familiar with: Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Juvenile Arthritis.

Juvenile Arthritis is a form of the disease that will effect children from the mid teen years and younger. Although it likely won’t be our focus here, it is good to know what demographic this branch of arthritis will affect. Moving on then, if you or someone you know have been living with arthritis, you more than likely have had to explain on more than one occasion the difference between Rheumatoid arthritis and Osteoarthritis. Or maybe you yourself have been the inquirer and would really like to know once and for all what the difference is. 

True, both are arthritis. And true, both will affect your joints. Both will cause pain and both are here to stay.  But if we look at both branches of the disease on a pathological level, we begin to see the differences. 

Osteoarthritisitself can have many subcategories. But to simplify, osteoarthritis is pain in the joints cause by the cartilage (the cushion between the bones that prevents them from rubbing against each other) being lost over time due to a number of factors. Age plays a role in osteoarthritis based on the “wear and tear” theory. As the years pass, your body has given you the best of itself. And the price we pay for that is the wear and tear of the cartilage in the joints, among other things. It is simply the way of life. Another cause of the cartilage being lost is repetitive motion over the years, for example, a baseball player who is throwing around the ball for years may someday have lost the cartilage in his throwing arm or hand due to repeating that same throwing motion over and over. This also applies for someone like a seamstress who uses her fingers for small detail over the years, or even someone at a desk, who is constantly typing. 

Osteoarthritis is known to cause pain, stiffness, and sore achy joints. The symptoms can start out mild and stay that way, or they can progress making day to day activities difficult to carry out. It is hard to predict who will have which symptoms. We’re all different.

Unly, the cartilage in the human body isn’t a master of rejuvenation. As a rule, once the cartilage is gone, it will not grow back. But that is not to say you are doomed. There are ways to treat the pain and many people lead normal and fulfilling lives even with Osteoarthritis. The key, as always, is a good physician, proper diet and exercise. 
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services there is strong evidence indicating that both endurance and resistance types of exercise provide considerable disease-specific benefits for people with osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatic conditions. (Arthritis Foundation, 2013)

Rheumatoid arthritis is a little more complex. Where Osteoarthritis comes from wear and tear, Rheumatoid arthritis comes from your body attacking itself. The reason behind why this happens still isn’t clear. We have educated insight as to why this happens, involving genetics and environment. But no definitive answers yet. What we can explain are the mechanics behind Rheumatoid arthritis.

Your body’s immune system has the job of protecting you, and attacking what doesn’t belong, for example the common cold virus. In this case, your immune system, for an unknown reason, begins to see a thin lining of your joints as an unrecognized and potentially harmful invader. Your body begins to attack that joint lining, causing inflammation and swelling to the joints. Fluid will build up at the site of the joint, causing pain, inflammation, heat over the affected area, and a decreased range of motion. In some severe cases, it can cause damage to the cartilage that is there and even some damage to the bones. Unlike Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis can have periods of remission. That being said, you can also have something called a Rheumatoid arthritis flare up in which the symptoms are at a peek high.

Because the inflammation is internal and caused by your immune system,  it can affect any joint in your body. The rule for Rheumatoid arthritis is if a joint on one side of your body is affected, let’s say your left hand, then the same joint on the other side of your body, in this case your right hand,  will also be affected. 
Again, because the inflammation is internal and your immune system is at war (in this case, it is at war with itself) you may have fatigue, loss of appetite and a low grade fever, similar as if you had an infection. While there is no definite cure, managing and coping with the disease can be achieved with a good physician and sometimes a specialist, as well as pain management and a healthy lifestyle. In the case of Rheumatoid arthritis, early detection is important in the treatment.
Arthritis is not to be taken lightly. It can be debilitating if not properly treated. The number of people suffering from arthritis is increasing. Talk to your doctor if you think you may be starting to show symptoms of arthritis. If you know you have arthritis but would like more information, speak with your family doctor for more information and to discuss what can be done to improve and maintain quality of life. 

Within 20 years the number of people with arthritis will soar. By 2030, an estimated 67 million Americans will have arthritis, unless the trend is reversed. (Arthritis Foundation, 2013)

Works Cited

Arthritis Foundation. (2013). Understanding Arthritis. Retrieved September 2013, from Arthritis Foundation: http://www.arthritis.org/conditions-treatments/understanding-arthritis/
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