By Dr. Trina Ting
September is Arthritis Awareness Month in Canada: did you know there are over 100 different types of arthritis? Arthritis is defined as a “collection of conditions affecting joints and other tissue, which can cause pain, restrict mobility, and diminish quality of life.” (Arthritis Society of Canada). So what type you have matters most: hearing the diagnosis of arthritis can be overwhelming for many, so let’s discuss the most common types are and what symptoms you might have.
Osteoarthritis (OA): The type of joint/tissue damage that results from wear and tear. We have only one body, and with injuries, repetitive strain, and medical conditions, our joints and tissue will only last so long. It often affects our weight bearing joints the most: hips, knees, spine and doesn’t necessarily hurt all the time. It often takes many months and years for OA to become symptomatic, if at all: we know that the level of OA in a particular area of the body is not correlative to pain. This means that you could have lots of pain in your knee, with only minimal OA in the joint to show on imaging. Some symptoms of OA are:
· Stiffness in the morning that lasts less than 30 minutes
· Deep, aching pain
· Stiffness after resting
· Difficulty with daily tasks such as stairs, cooking, depending on which joints have the OA
· Swelling (or not) in the affected joints
· Difficult to move the affected joint
The next most common forms of arthritis are autoimmune conditions, in which the body’s immune system attacks the joints and causes damage, swelling, and pain. Some of the most common conditions include:
Lupus: Your immune system attacks the tissue in your joints as well as organs and the vasculature in your body. Symptoms include joint pain, severe fatigue, rashes (especially across the face), and fevers.
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): When your immune system attacks the joints and as well as having faulty inflammatory processes in the body, this leads to destruction of the joint lining, cartilage, and of the bones themselves. There may be a genetic component, but it is still not understood why people develop RA (often diagnosed between ages 30-60, but younger people can develop it as well. There are blood tests that can highly predict the diagnosis of RA; positive blood markers as well as clinical symptoms and evidence on x-rays can confirm the presence of this immune-mediated arthritis. Joint pain, swelling and fatigue are some of the symptoms of RA.
Psoriatic Arthritis (PA): Similar to RA in which joints are affected, the spine in particular can be affected by PA and the condition is characterized by rough, scaly red and white patches of skin (psoriasis). Only about 25% on average of those who have psoriasis will develop the associated arthritis.
Gout: Due to a buildup of uric acid in the blood, the crystals formed by the uric acid start depositing on joints such as the joints in the foot, causing severe pain and swelling. Uric acid is found in specific foods such as meat and rich fatty foods, so the treatment is to avoid the specific foods and to take medication to assist in breaking down the uric acid. Unfortunately, the joint damage is irreversible.
So now that you know that arthritis is not just one specific illness, what should you do once you’ve been told you have any of the above?
Know Your Exact Diagnosis: You’d be surprised at how many times patients have reported to me they were told by their doctor they have arthritis and that they don’t know exactly what it was. Once you know what you can have, you can know what to do about it.
What Can Be Done Naturally?
Improving Lifestyle: Sleep, balanced diet, and stress reduction are the simplest answers, but not necessarily the easiest. However, by managing those key components of your lifestyle, it makes it much easier to deal with the symptoms of your arthritis.
Pain Relief: Depending on your type of arthritis, pain management is key, and the answer is not always medication, especially if your arthritis requires medication. Chiropractic care can reduce joint pain and swelling in your shoulders, hands and knees, as well as the spine. Soft tissue treatment such as massage therapy can also significantly help. By reducing pain, we are also reducing the stress levels in your body which can cause your immune system to flare up in the autoimmune arthritides such as RA.
Exercise: Moving the joints gently can improve joint health and bone strength, mitigating further destruction. Consider gentle forms such as walking, swimming/Aquafit, or even chair yoga.
Dietary Supplements: Some people find relief with taking collagen and glucosamine, as well as essential fatty acids, which are key to joint health. Read on later in our newsletter to see if our Product of the Month, the Super EFA Liquid could be useful for you.
The Takeaway:
Arthritis has many forms, but by far, the most common is Osteoarthritis, AKA wear and tear on the joints. While we can’t reverse it or any of the other autoimmune arthritides, we can certainly reduce the pain associated with it, improve spinal joint function and hopefully slow down the progress of the condition. Chiropractic and massage therapy works well for many of our patients in managing arthritic pain.
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