What is Athritis?

When you hear the word cold and cough, you get to know that the person has caught cold and must be sneezing or coughing etc. Similarly, if you hear someone is having arthritis then it is associated with joint pain or joint disease.

There are more than 100 different types of arthritis and surprisingly, people of all age groups and genders can have it! If you think that it only happens in old age, then you are mistaken! Arthritis can be of different types:

  • Degenerative Arthritis:

    At the end of bones, there is cushioning surface known as cartilage. When this cartilage wears away then bones rubs against each other causing pain and inflammation affecting mobility. This pain becomes unbearable when joints lose strength! This type of arthritis could be due to family history, excessive weight, no complementing cardio with strength exercises or due to injury.

  • Inflammatory Arthritis:

    When the immune system in body goes for a toss, it can lead to joint problems. For example, people having thyroid are at risk of getting arthritis earlier than their normal predictable age! Genetics, environmental factors and lifestyle can trigger autoimmunity which leads to damage in cartilage and ligaments. This causes inflammatory arthritis which can eventually lead to permanent joint damage.

  • Infectious Arthritis:

    This type of arthritis is caused due to bacteria, fungus or virus which can enter the joints and cause inflammation. It could be due to hepatitis C, gonorrhoea or due to food contamination. These diseases enter the blood and fail to supply required nutrients into the joints causing chronic arthritis.

  • Metabolic Arthritis:

    This arthritis is caused due to inability of the body in getting rid of uric acid produced. Uric acid builds up and forms needle like crystals in joints which can result in sudden spikes of extreme joint pain. These can be chronic if uric acid is not controlled in the body. Foods like pulses and beans should be avoided if your uric acid is high!

  • Gradual Arthritis:

    Few people (especially women) have knee caps tilted towards the outer edge. This is due to the shape of pelvic bone. Such people have tendency to attain arthritis in the age of 40s if they don’t take precautions or do knee strengthening exercises. This can trigger due to excessive cardio, deep squats, lunges or inclined treadmill!

Now that you know that arthritis can happen to anyone, it is imperative to understand how it can be diagnosed. It is necessary to get X-ray/ MRI done based on your physician’s recommendation to diagnose the type of arthritis. If it is at primary stage, it can heal using physiotherapy and regular exercises. But if it is chronic and intense then a surgery might be recommended. At times replacement surgery is also done!

Best practices:

In this era of busy lifestyle, health usually takes a back step until the day we feel something is not right in our body! There are many things which can be done to retain joint support and mobility if it is detected in time. Maintaining a healthy weight and lifestyle is important which begins from regular exercising and frequent full body check-ups!

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