Friday, March 29, 2024

Can Rheumatoid Arthritis Affect Your Shoulders

What Are The Stages Of Arthritis Of The Knee

What to know about shoulder arthritis – Online Interview

There are five stages of osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis that affects your knees:

  • Stage 0 . If youre at stage 0, your knees are healthy. You dont have arthritis of the knee.
  • Stage 1 . Stage 1 means that youve got some wear and tear in your knee joint. You probably wont notice pain.
  • Stage 2 . The mild stage is when you might start to feel pain and stiffness, but theres still enough cartilage to keep the bones from actually touching.
  • Stage 3 . If youre at the moderate stage, youll have more pain, especially when running, walking, squatting, and kneeling. Youll likely notice it after long periods of rest . Youre probably in a great deal of pain because the cartilage has narrowed even further and there are many bone spurs.
  • Stage 4 . Severe osteoarthritis means that the cartilage is almost gone. Your knee is stiff, painful and possibly immobile. You might need surgery.

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Signs Of Ra In Your Shoulder

As mentioned, there are plenty of things that could cause shoulder pain, so RA isnt always the culprit. However, if you have already been diagnosed with RA pain in other areas of your body, it is certainly a distinct possibility. Some of the most common symptoms of RA, according to WebMD, include:

Swelling An RA joint is often fluid-filled. This can make the area surrounding it appear puffy and large. The fluid that fills the joint can also cause further damage to the bone and structure of the joint itself, leading to further pain down the road.

Pain What causes the pain with RA? It is actually caused by the inflammation within the joint. It is tender to the touch. Plus, the swelling puts pressure on your nerves, causing pain.

Redness and Warmth Does your shoulder feel warm, feverish or have a red tone to it? When a joint is being attacked by RA, there is often warmth and redness.

How Ra Drugs May Affect The Nervous System

Common drugs used to treat RA may affect the nervous system. For example, steroid treatment can be linked to impaired thinking, hypomania , and depression. Methotrexate, a disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug , may cause headaches or problems with concentration.7-10

Some DMARDs, such as sulfasalazine or leflunomide, may lead to peripheral neuropathy . TNF-inhibitors, which may be known as biologic drugs, are known to lead to demyelinating disorders, such as multiple sclerosis or Guillain-Barré syndrome. These can result in life-threatening paralysis. Though these conditions may be possible, they are rare.7-10

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Symptoms Of Shoulder Osteoarthritis

This may be the type of arthritis that first comes to mind when you hear that term. There are two main types of shoulder osteoarthritis: glenohumeral . Arthritis and acromioclavicular arthritis. Osteoarthritis causes joint pain from wear and tear over many years. It alters your entire joint and isnt currently reversible. Usually, OA occurs when the cartilage in the joint breaks down over many years. Cartilage provides padding between bones in your joints. Without enough cartilage, it can become very painful to move your joint.

For both types, your symptoms will typically include a combination of the following symptoms

  • Pain Comes and Goes The pain may come and go but it will build up gradually. It can get worse over months and years.
  • Pain Caused By Inactivity If you notice more pain in the morning with your first movements of the day but feel better the more you move around.
  • Loss of Motion Not being able to raise your arm over your head to put on your shirt.
  • Pain From Activities Glenohumeral arthritis will cause pain when you lift a bag of groceries and acromioclavicular arthritis will cause pain as you reach across your body to buckle your seat belt.

Aging, overuse of the joint, injury, and being overweight can influence your likelihood of developing OA. However, while there is no cure for shoulder osteoarthritis, there are many treatments to help slow down its progression and reduce pain.

Calcific Tendonitis And Calcific Periarthritis

Types of Arthritis that Affect the Shoulder

Sometimes pain, swelling and difficulty moving your shoulder is caused by calcium crystals that form insidea tendon. Tendons are the strong cords that attach muscles to bones.

We all need the mineral calcium in the body, as it helps make bones and teeth strong. But sometimes, if you have too much of it in the body, sharp, tiny, crystals can form in the wrong places.

If they form in tendons, this is called calcific tendonitis.

This can happen at various places around the body, including the shoulder.

Calcium crystals can then shed from a tendon and cause pain and swelling around a joint. This is called calcific periarthritis.

Steroid injections often work well to reduce swelling. Butsometimes the calcium deposits mayneed to be removed by keyhole surgery.

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Understanding The Five Types Of Shoulder Arthritis

Its normal to feel a little stiff or sore after an intense workout or an afternoon of yard work after all, overused muscles usually feel a little achy for a day or two as they recover. But if being active causes you to experience pain, stiffness, or swelling around your shoulder, you may have arthritis.

The term arthritis is used to describe over 100 different conditions that can impact your joints and their surrounding tissues. More than 50 million Americans including 20% of all adults and hundreds of thousands of children have been diagnosed with some form of the disease.

As the American population continues to age in the coming decades, the number of people living with arthritis is expected to increase dramatically. In recognition of National Arthritis Awareness Month, Dr. Drew shares a brief overview of the five types of arthritis that most often affect the shoulder joint.

Comprehensive Shoulder Care You Can Trust

Initially, most forms of shoulder arthritis respond well to rest, icing or moist heat, activity modifications, targeted physical therapy exercises, and over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications. When these first-line treatments dont alleviate your pain or help improve your range of motion, surgery may be a solution.

Whether youve already been diagnosed with shoulder arthritis or youve been living with unexplained shoulder pain for too long, we can help. Call our office in Lafayette, Louisiana, or click the book online button to schedule an appointment.

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Can Rheumatoid Arthritis Affect Muscles

Rheumatoid arthritis is a rheumatic disease that involves the abnormality of your immune system. Still, it primarily affects the joint causing classic symptoms of arthritis such as joint stiffness, swelling and pain. But its not only about joint problem since its effect is systemic. In other words it can affect the entire body, including non-joint structures. Can it also affect your muscles?

Who Can Help Me Treat Shoulder Arthritis

How Shoulder Arthritis Can Be Treated | Ohio State Sports Medicine

Your physician may be able to treat initial stages, though if you have severe shoulder arthritis or your condition is deteriorating rapidly, you may want to schedule an appointment with your orthopaedic surgeon at OGrady Orthopaedics. Dr. OGrady and his staff use cutting-edge technology in all aspects of treatment, so they can offer minimally invasive procedures and expert care to help you find relief from your shoulder arthritis pain.

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Costochondritis Is Not The Same As Tietze Syndrome

Costochondritis is often confused with Tietze syndrome, a similar but less common disorder that typically involves swelling of the second or third rib that can last for months. According to the American Family Physican review, Tietze syndrome typically affects people who are younger than 40 and is considered rare, while costochondritis is more common and can affect children, teens, and adults, says Gewanter. In fact, he says, the rib cages of kids are extra flexible, so that increases the opportunity to irritate the costochondral junctions. Local swelling is typically present with Tietze’s, while it is not with costochondritis, though the RA advocate ONeill notes inconspicuous swelling with her costochondritis. In reality, whatever you want to call it, both conditions are treated in essentially the same way, says Gewanter. Tietze syndrome can subside without treatment, but over-the-counter pain medication may be used.

Physical Therapy And Exercises

Your rheumatologist may recommend physical therapy to help improve flexibility, strength, and range of motion. Physical therapy for arthritis in the neck involves performing exercises designed to stretch and strengthen weak, strained muscles and improve range of motion and posture.

Although moving your neck may feel like the last thing you want to do when youre in pain, it can actually help. Being inactive can increase neck stiffness, further decreasing the joints mobility.

The military chin tuck is one exercise that may help improve posture. To perform this exercise, tuck your chin toward your neck for 10 to 20 seconds and repeat 10 times each day. Strengthening the shoulders can also help provide additional support to the neck. Exercises like shoulder rolls can help keep the joints in the shoulders and neck flexible.

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What Can Be Done For Ra In The Shoulder

First and foremost, if you suspect you have shoulder pain that may stem from RA, contact your doctor immediately. Prompt treatment can prevent the most severe problems. After all, a joint suffering from RA may be more likely to develop other problems than healthy joints.

Once your doctor has diagnosed RA in your shoulder, he or she will usually recommend a combination of drug treatment and non-drug treatment. Non-drug management of RA to the shoulder may involve resting the joint, application of heat and cool and maintaining a healthy diet. Physical therapy may also be a useful tool. Physical therapy could include massage, controlled exercise or other forms of rehabilitation. PT can often relieve some symptoms of RA and also lead to a quicker healing time for any concurrent injuries too. Finally, as stated in an article published by NCBI, surgery may be an option as well to help control the pain and prevent further injury to the shoulder.

As always, taking care of your RA, whether it affects your shoulder or any other part of the body, is a team effort between you and your doctors. Any new, unexpected pain should be brought to the attention of your rheumatologist or your general practitioner as soon as possible. In doing so, you can get back to normal as quickly and easily as possible. After all, no one likes shoulder pain!

Shoulder Impingement Or Painful Arc Syndrome

How Rheumatoid Arthritis Affects Each Part of the Body

The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and tendons that keep the upper arm bone held in the shoulder blade socket.

Pain from a problem with the rotator cuff is often called shoulder impingement. The condition causes swelling, pain or damage to the tendons of the rotator cuff. This can make it painful and difficult to move your arm properly.

You may find it painful and difficult to lift your arm away from your body, particularly if youre trying to lift your arm above your head. Your arm may feel weak or you may have a dull lingering pain in your upper arm.

Really, its nothing to do with your tendons being trapped by bones, as was previously thought. Instead, its caused by overuse or age-related problems with the tendons themselves but the name is still used. This condition can also be called painful arc syndrome.

Rest and physiotherapy are the main courses of treatment for a shoulder impingement. Your doctor may recommend an injection of steroids and a local anaesthetic, to help with the pain.

If the pain doesnt settle, or comes back within a few months of treatment, you may need keyhole surgery.

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How Shoulder Arthritis Is Diagnosed

The first sign of shoulder arthritis is pain in the general area, although the type of pain and the timing may vary. For instance, some people may feel a deep kind of pain in their shoulder joint, while others may feel a radiating pain around the side of their neck.

Limited range of movement is another symptom of worsening shoulder arthritis.

If youve had an outstanding injury in your shoulder area or have been feeling stiffness or an ache that isnt going away, the first step is to talk with your doctor. They will most likely check the affected area for muscle weakness, tenderness, range of movement, and a grating sensation inside the joint when it is moved.

The next step will most likely consist of shoulder X-rays so your doctor or specialist can take a look at your bones and see if any changes have occurred.

Lastly, your doctor may inject a local anesthetic into the joint where the pain seems to be radiating. If the pain is temporarily relieved, a diagnosis of arthritis is likely.

Shoulder arthritis is treatable. Talk with your doctor about the best treatment for your specific condition. Depending on your diagnosis, symptoms, and disease progression, your doctor may recommend:

If your doctor recommends surgery for shoulder arthritis, there are a number of surgical interventions available. Depending on your condition, these treatments include:

What Ra Does To Your Heart And Lungs

RA can affect more than just your joints. Complications can involve your organs, blood vessels, and bones.

RA can damage your lungs or inflame the lining around them. This causes chest pain that worsens with breathing, called pleurisy. Lung problems are the most common symptoms of RA outside the joints. This may not cause symptoms, or you might notice shortness of breath. Your doctor can treat it with drugs that ease the inflammation in your lungs.

Severe inflammation from RA in your lungs can make the tissue stiff, thickened, and scarred. This is pulmonary fibrosis, a hard-to-treat condition that makes it tough to breathe.

Likewise, RA can inflame the lining around your heart or your heart muscle . You probably wouldnât notice symptoms from that. Thereâs a chance you could feel shortness of breath or sharp, stabbing chest pain. If you do, call your doctor. It can also raise your odds of heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and stroke.

When RA gets into the cartilage that connects your ribs to your sternum, it can feel like youâre having a heart attack. This is known as chest wall pain.

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What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Shoulder Arthritis

Symptoms of shoulder arthritis vary from person to person. Signs and symptoms include:

  • Pain in your shoulder joint: This is the most common symptom. At first, you may feel shoulder pain only during activity. Later in the disease process, you may feel pain at any time of the day, with or without arm movement. Your pain may worsen when you lift heavy objects or after exercise. The pain may spread down your arm and even to your elbow or wrist if your arthritis is severe.
  • Stiffness and loss of range of motion: You may feel stiffness in your shoulder and lose range of motion. These symptoms may make everyday tasks such as dressing, bathing, driving or doing housework difficult.
  • Grinding, clicking, popping or cracking in your shoulder joint: Loss of cartilage, which leaves an unsmooth surface, causes these noises. The noises occur with or without pain.
  • Loss of sleep: Its difficult to find a comfortable sleeping position. Any shoulder movement may cause pain. If you sleep on your back, place a pillow under the elbow of your affected side. This helps keep your shoulder in a more supported position. It also takes the strain off of all supporting joint structures. For some people, sleeping in a recliner can provide pain relief at night.

Range Of Motion Exercise

Rheumatoid arthritis: how is it diagnosed and treated? – Online interview

Treatment for shoulder RA often starts with range of motion exercises to keep your shoulder mobile. If range of motion has not been affected, the goal will be to prevent things from getting worse. Physical therapy can be helpful in teaching you exercises to strengthen your shoulders and improve range of motion.

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What Causes Ra In The Neck

The causes of rheumatoid arthritis in the neck are the same as the causes of RA in any other joint. In people with RA, the immune system mistakenly attacks the joints in the same way it would normally fight viruses or bacteria. The bodys defenders attack the joints tissues, as well as the synovial membrane lining the joints which has a lubricating function. This attack causes inflammation, erodes cartilage and bone, and weakens the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. The damage and inflammation, in turn, lead to the symptoms of RA.

Can Rheumatoid Arthritis Affect Your Muscles

Now you know that RA is systemic inflammatory disease that can affect many parts of the body. It can also affect your muscles. For example, sometimes it is associated with muscle problems such as myositis and myocarditis!

Myositis

It is a term that refers to the inflammation of the muscles. It can result from certain medications, infections, or an underlying medical condition with the immune system .

There are several types of myositis. The main ones associated with the abnormality of the immune system are polymyositis and dermatomyositis.

Polymyositis

It can affect many different muscles of your body especially muscles of your hips, thigh, shoulders, neck, and upper arms. The symptom usually develops gradually.

Typically, the muscle weakness affects both sides of the body. For example, if you have it in your left shoulders muscles, you tend to also have the same problem in your right shoulder. But it is usually not followed with skin rash.

Polymyositis is quite rare, but it can occur together with RA or another autoimmune disease. Its incurable, though prompt treatment can help preserve and improve your muscle strength & function. The goal of the treatment is to make the disease go into remission.

Poorly-controlled polymyositis can turn into serious. Over time, it may cause some of the following complications:

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