The two most common types of chronic joint diseases :
1) Rheumatoid arthritis
2) Osteoarthritis
These joint diseases can affect our daily activities of living like walking, bending and limbing the stairs. Let us take a look at what are the signs and symptoms of these two types of arthritis.
1) Rheumatoid arthritis
- Warmth, swelling and pain in small joints of the fingers, wrists and feet.
- Affected joints are usually symmetrical (same joint on both sides of the body).
- Morning stiffness which can last an hour or more.
- Subcutaneous lumps or rheumatoid nodules may be present.
- Joint deformities caused by cartilage, tenion and ligament damage.
- Fatigue, loss of appetite and low grade fever.
2) Osteoarthritis
- Is primarily related to degenerating in the protein makeup and the water content of the cartilage.
- Repetitive use of the joints that causes irritates and inflames to cartilage.
- Cartilage further degenerate by flaking or forming tiny crevasses.
- In worst case, complete loss of cartilage cushion between the joint of bones, leading to pain and limitation of joint mobility.
How can we help to delay the onset of these joint pain ?
- Ensure a healthy nutritious and balanced diet.
- Do not place to much stress or strain on the joints by avoiding constant repetitive movements.
- Keep weight within a healthy range which will lessen the burden on our joints.
- Exercise regularly to maintain healthy bones and joints.
- Manage your workload effectively, such as doing it at steady pace and not rushing throughout the day will help to avoid overwork the joints.
- Alternate light and moderate activities and periodic stretch breaks will also help.
What are the ways to relieve pain ?
- Simple hydrotherapy such as spending 15 minutes under a hot shower or in a hot bathtub.
- Soaking your joints in alternating hot and cold water, first 10 minutes in warm water before switching to cold water for 1 minute and back to hot water and repeated throughout half an hour.
- To alleviate knee pain, wrap the affected area with a few towels before putting a hot pack on it and wrapping it further with a few more towels. Heat from the water helps to relax the muscles near the affected area of you knee. Ensure to check the skin reaction every 15 minutes and if red spots are deteched, stop treatment immediately.
- Physiotherapy with customised exercise programms will help to strengthen and improve blood circulation around the mucles and tendons of the affected area.
- Doctors may recommend the injection of cortisone, a powerful anti-inflamatory drug to patients suffering from a severely inflamed knee and uncontrolled pain.
- Acupuncture, the traditional treatment provides pain relief and improves the function of an osteoarthritis knee.
- Wearing guard around the knee. The stronger guard, such as those with bio-ray properties are currently also recommended. Ebene Bio-ray knee guard, invented by Dr Tor Lam Huat, PHD recommended this in an article in Straits Times dated 9 April 2009
