Osteoarthritis is defined as a silent killer disease as it erodes the bones and joints off their calcium content.
Crippling arthritis | Rheumatoid arthritis | Osteoarthritis
Post Contents
Osteo = bone arthr= joints itis = inflammation (Source)
It is the inflammation of the bones and joints in the body and could be a crippling disease when it happens on the hands and fingers as the victim gets completely dependent on others even for their activities of daily living.
The hands and wrists have a number of
small joints that work together to produce any fine motion. When these joints
get affected by arthritis they lose their normal shape and will not be able to
perform normal motion. The cartilage or the synovial membrane that surrounds
these joints would slowly degrade as part of aging( osteoarthritis) or as part
of Staphylococcus infection( Rheumatoid arthritis)
Signs of early arthritis in hands – Follows crippling arthritis
Some of the early signs of arthritis in hands are as follows,
- Fatigue ( feeling tired and not having energy for normal activities)
- Joint pain (pain in the joints of the hands)
- Joint tenderness(redness, warmth and swelling in the joints)
- Joint stiffness (not being able to move the joints normally)
- Loss of joint range of motion
- Many joints affected (polyarthritis)
- Limping (This occurs when the toes are also involved)
- Joint deformity( losing the normal shape of the joint and the finger)
- Both sides of the body affected (symmetric)
- Loss of joint function
- Anemia ( decreased hemoglobin content in the blood)
- Fever ( increased body temperature)
- Depression(feeling unwell at all times)
Preventing
arthritis in hands
There is no proven treatment module for arthritis (crippling arthritis) and the aim of treatment is early recognition and treatment. In order to prevent the disease the following measures could be followed:
- Maintain a healthy body
weight - Avoid smoking
- Avoid injury during
sports or while involving in recreational activities. - Avoid jobs that involve
a lot of lifting, pushing, pulling etc. - Practice good hand
posture while spending a lot of time in typing. Use wrist cushion or a typing
pad for additional support for the fingers.
Arthritis in hands treatment
Medical treatments for arthritis involve use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen. Oral steroids or steroid injections could be advocated to decrease inflammation.
Cortisone injections to reduce pain and deformity. Splinting along with injections has helped people to manage this crippling disease.
Splints are worn when the joints hurt the worst as wearing them for too long could result in muscle deterioration. Doctors may recommend surgical repair of the deformed joint in rare cases, which may involve replacement of the joints with prosthesis.
Arthritis
in hands natural remedies
- There are a number of
hand exercises that could be performed to maintain and enhance the healthiness
of the joints. - Applying heat or cold
applications over painful joints could decrease symptoms of inflammation and
thus avoid arthritis. - Splinting by wearing a
protective brace could help support weak fingers and joints. - Capsaicin creams
prepared by mixing the cayenne pepper with olive oil could be applied on
painful joints.
For more Health Tips and Healthy Life Articles – Click Here
