Arthritis (Joint Inflammation): Types, Symptoms, and Products

Arthritis is a disease that typically relates to inflamed joints throughout the body. Depending on the symptoms, causes, and impact area, health advisors identify its type and prescribe the required treatment.

Unfortunately, this health disorder is usually permanent. Its symptoms become worse if treated wrongly. That’s why it is necessary to reveal the disease early and initiate the medication as soon as possible.

Possible Treatment and Products

Unfortunately, most all types of arthritis are permanent or long-term. As a rule, doctors prescribe drugs that just reduce inflammation and kill pain. They can also suggest keeping to a diet. It excludes food that increases the risk of inflammation or prevents calcium and collagen absorption.

The list below includes the names of drugs that are used to treat arthritis. They are either pills or capsules that must be taken orally.

Colchicine for patients above 4 years old with gout.
Feldene is prescribed to treat osteoporosis, AS, or RA.
Indocin relieves pain and reduces swelling.
Arcoxia handles gout, osteoarthritis, RA, and AS by reducing pain and inflammation.
Anaprox and Naprosyn are strong painkillers.
Motrin or Ibuprofen (generic and brand drug analogs) reduce inflammation and arthritis-related fever.
Neoral is a suppressant of the immune system for autoimmune arthritis.
Allopurinol or Zyloprim (brand and generic analogs) deals with the excessive creation of uric acid that causes gout.
Mobic produces an anti-fever effect, kills pain, and reduces inflammation.

Most patients take some of these drugs when symptoms become acute. Some of them have to take painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs quite often when the disease is revealed too late.

Sometimes doctors prescribe topicals with painkillers such as gels and creams. They mostly deal with soft tissues but can temporarily reduce pain. Patients usually apply them when they have already taken painkillers. That’s how they prevent overdose and can wait till the next dose of pills can be taken again.

Types of Arthritis Depending on the Attack Zone

Health experts identify merely seven types of arthritis.

Ankylosing spondylitis

This type of arthritis is characterized by the inflammation of joints in the pelvis and spinal area. In addition, a person can suffer from problems with bowel and eyes. Pain in the back is also inevitable. With a lapse of time, people start feeling pain in their limbs and experience poor joint mobility.

Rheumatoid arthritis

This arthritis is one of the most dangerous as it belongs to autoimmune diseases. Primarily, it impacts human joints, especially, hands and wrists, that become red, swollen, warm, and painful. The danger of the disease lies in its nature. When the immune system of people “malfunctions”, it starts attacking healthy tissues. As a result, they hurt and can become deformed over time.

Osteoarthritis

The main targets of this type of arthritis are joint cartilage and underlying bone. They degenerate over time and break down. According to the statistics, it belongs to the four reasons for human disabilities in the US and other countries. Each seventh adult (55+ years old) suffers from this disease, which makes this health disorder global. Except for severe pain, a person experiences joint stiffness that limits proper leg and arm function.

Fibromyalgia

Unlike the two previous types of arthritis, this one affects the whole body. It’s hard to diagnose it early. A person feels exhausted even after rest, is sensitive to everything, has muscle pain, headaches, and belly cramps, and notices cognitive disorders leading to depression. Some confuse it first with virus or stress. People often identify it late and acquire chronic disease that is hard to treat.

Gout

It is one of the most painful arthritis. A person experiences acute pain that becomes less weak only in 12 hours. It is the result of kidney dysfunction that cannot properly deliver uric acid out of the body. As a result, its crystals attack joints and soft tissues in the feet, especially in the toes. They become red, swallowed, deformed, and very painful.

Psoriatic arthritis

Psoriasis is a skin disease that can affect soft tissues deeper in elbows, knees, fingers, and toes. Fingers and toes become swollen, painful, and red resembling sausages. As a result, a person suffers from another autoimmune disease called psoriatic arthritis. In other words, it’s a long-term autoimmune combination of two dangerous diseases that make it harder to treat.

Childhood arthritis

This type of arthritis is also called juvenile as it affects children under 16 years of age. Its cause is still unknown, so it is also called idiopathic. It is usually permanent, though some patients manage to achieve the desired relief for some time. Most scientists related it to the problems with the immune system of children.

Lupus

This type of arthritis is more dangerous than some of the mentioned above as it attacks not only joints but soft tissues throughout the body, including kidneys, liver, lungs, heart, and other organs. It is an autoimmune disease because the immune system stops differentiating between healthy and unhealthy tissues. As a result, both of them get under attack and become ruined.

Types of Arthritis Related to the Main Causes

Some doctors classify arthritis in another way. They take into consideration the cause of the disease. The most typical reasons for arthritis are the following.

Inflammation
Virus
Bacteria
Mechanical injuries
Immune system disorder
Metabolic disorders
Sepsis

Health experts usually test the patient’s blood to identify the disease. If the results are positive, they continue testing their patients to find out the cause and start the best possible treatment.

Lifestyle for People with Any Kind of Arthritis

Such a disease as arthritis always changes a sick person’s lifestyle. However, one must learn how to manage it to reduce its negative symptoms and continue doing daily duties and enjoying life.

Unfortunately, it’s impossible to avoid the disease. Nevertheless, one should know five ways to handle symptoms and live normally.

Become educated

One should learn about the disease as much as possible. Due to that one will be able to manage pain and control it better. One might even get rid of it by being aware of possible non-medical treatments such as warm baths, gloves, special exercises, bee venom, or herbs.

Besides, people can get ready for pain attacks when following weather forecasts. Most people suffer from sharp pain during rainy and frosty days. So, one can dress better, take extra painkillers, and prepare for the worst without panic.

Stay active

Even though it sounds a bit weird, exercising helps to reduce pain. It doesn’t mean one should run a marathon during pain attacks. Moderate exercising strengthens muscles and improves blood circulation. It also lets people avoid mood swings and depression. Physical activity helps to control body weight. Excessive weight overloads joints and bones making pain unbearable.

As a rule, patients with arthritis need to be active at least 2 hours 30 minutes a week to stay healthier and support bones and joints. One can enjoy fast walking, cycling, swimming, and other exercises that do not provide an excessive load on joints.

Keep in touch with your health advisor

One should not deal with self-treatment having arthritis. It can make things worse. Patients should find highly qualified doctors who can tell the precise diagnosis and identify the cause. Due to that, it will be possible to find effective treatments that will allow patients to live normal lives without constant pain or physical and mental disabilities.

Besides, patients should keep in touch with the chosen specialists. They must be regularly examined for better disease control to prevent complications such as excessive joint damage and severe pain.

Control your weight

Obesity is dangerous for patients with arthritis. It causes extra negative load on the whole organism, including bones, muscles, and joints. One should stay active and keep to a diet that improves metabolism. Hipps and knees are stressed under excessive weight and a person can lose mobility. Losing the ability to move because of pain can lead to other health disorders and diseases.

Protect bones and joints

The last thing to keep in mind is joints and bone protection. One should avoid physical activity that hurts knees, back, and joints in fingers and wrists. Besides, one should add meals, vitamins, and minerals that help the body restore collagen, support the nervous system, and strengthen bones. So, one should consume more calcium, Zinc, vitamin C, magnesium, omega 3-6-9, vitamins B-B12, and other essential nutrients.

Disclaimer: The information presented on the page should not be used for self-medication or self-diagnosis. If you suspect the presence of a disease, you must seek help from a qualified specialist. Only your attending physician can diagnose and prescribe treatment.