Preventing Arthritis Related To Knee Injuries
Pain And Other Symptoms Of Spinal Osteoarthritis
The intensity and type of pain people experience as a result of arthritis in the spine varies from mild to severe, and occasional to episodic to chronic. Each type of pain is treated differently. Of course, it is not uncommon for arthritic neck or back pain to be accompanied by other symptoms, such as tingling sensations, numbness, or muscle spasms. Learn more about the range of osteoarthritis symptoms.
How To Prevent Arthritis
When it comes to arthritis, there are some widespread misconceptions about it. Many people might think arthritis is something that happens to random individuals without any rhyme or reason. Theres no preventing it, and youll either develop it or you wont. Others might think its entirely genetic, and so the chances of developing it are deciding by our family history.
Maybe youre a long-time arthritis patient. Maybe youre just beginning to feel stiffness in your joints, and youre wondering if you might be experiencing the beginnings of arthritis. Or maybe youre just curious, and youre wondering if there are any steps you can take to prevent yourself from developing this condition in the first place.
Whatever the case may be, its always best to be well-informed. Thats why weve put together a guide to arthritis. Here, well talk about what it is, what causes it and what steps you can take to prevent yourself from developing it, or else what steps you can take to help lessen your symptoms.
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How To Treat Hip Arthritis
ByGerry Restrivera | Submitted On April 18, 2009
Arthritis is a joint disease and it can affect any joint in the body like the hips. Aging is the biggest factor that affects the occurrence of this joint disease. Millions of people aged 65 and above are suffering from the pain of this hip joint problem. It could be a very disabling condition that could restrict you from certain hip movements and it is important to treat hip arthritis as early as possible. If this disease is left untreated, it could become a lifetime problem that could torment you forever.
Before finding the best way to treat hip arthritis you have to get the proper diagnosis. There are many causes of arthritis and getting the correct diagnosis is the first step in finding the best treatment that will work for you. In most cases arthritis of the hips is caused by the grinding of hip bones due to the loss of cartilage between the joints. Wear and tear or aging is the most common reason. Arthritis may get worse over time so it is critical to seek treatment as early as possible.
There are different methods to treat hip arthritis and it is important to know the best treatment that will work for you. Here are the two common treatments:
Surgical treatment. Surgery maybe recommended by your doctor in severe cases of hip joint problem. Surgical treatments include Osteotomy and Total Hip Arthroplasty . Surgery is not for everybody, careful planning and diagnosis must be made before subjecting yourself under the knife.
Strengthen The Outer Thighs
Building up the muscles in your outer thighs will improve the health of your hip joint in the long run. Lie on the pain-free side and lift the affected leg about six inches high in the air. Hold the position for 2-3 minutes and lower the leg. You may start with one set of 10 repetitions and build it up to three sets of 10 repetitions a day .
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What Are The Symptoms Of Arthritis
The symptoms of your arthritis will vary widely depending on which type of arthritis you have. The patterns will likely be quite different, as will the location and the severity of the pain and the other symptoms that may accompany the pain.
Despite the great potential for diversity in symptoms, however, there are four main symptoms present in almost every variety of arthritis.
Correct Your Posture To Avoid Straining Your Joints
Simple tasks such as sitting, working at a computer, and lifting heavy boxes can strain your joints if you have poor posture. Strive to sit with a straight back and neck, dont slouch, create an ergonomic workstation, and lift with your knees, not your back. Take frequent breaks from repetitive activities, and if you have to sit for long periods, get up and stretch every hour.
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What Are The Symptoms Of Osteoarthritis Of The Hip
If you have any of the following symptoms of hip osteoarthritis, talk to your doctor:
- Joint stiffness that occurs as you are getting out of bed
- Joint stiffness after you sit for a long time
- Any pain, swelling, or tenderness in the hip joint
- A sound or feeling of bone rubbing against bone
- Inability to move the hip to perform routine activities such as putting on your socks
Add Natural Supplements To Your Diet
A number of supplements, vitamins, and minerals may help reduce inflammation and arthritis pain. Vitamins A, B, C, D, E, and K, as well as minerals like zinc, calcium, iron, and magnesium, all play important roles in overall health.
Some people with arthritis find capsaicin, turmeric, and a variety of other supplements can improve arthritis symptoms. Talk to your health care team to find out which supplements might be a good addition to your arthritis management plan.
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Things To Avoid To Prevent Degenerative Disc Disease From Getting Worse
In order to prevent degenerative disc disease from getting worse, you have to understand the pain, find movements our body likes again, and avoid giving up hope. Many times people are misled that surgery is the quick fix but, surprisingly the failed surgery rates are upwards of 50% for those with lower back degenerative disc disease. If you want to control your pain and keep your adventure alive with degenerative disc disease, it is important to avoid these 3 things below.
Degenerative disc disease is very common and can be debilitating if nothing is done to help the pain.
It can be scary to hear the diagnosis and see the x-rays.
You may be told that surgery is your only option. Fixing your spine so that you no longer have pain may sound appealing. But keep reading to hear the reality of some surgeries
In Practice: Which Activities Can Promote The Onset Of Osteoarthritis
Professional activities which provoke or maintain pain must be temporarily or definitively stopped. In some cases, a job reclassification may be necessary .
Even if you do not have osteoarthritis, beware of practising a sport in an intensive and prolonged way!
If you suffer from osteoarthritis it is advisable to maintain a moderate and regular exercise routine, eventually including a sport. In the event of osteoarthritis of the hip and/or knee, you can pursue sports activities that do not require sudden effort such as swimming, cycling or even jogging on condition of doing it on loose soil and with good quality running shoes. Any sport that makes joint pain worse or leads to synovial effusion should be avoided!
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Where To Buy Lab Grade Products
There are a lot of extremely inferior products on the market. Still worse, many of the cheap herbal supplements found in Amazon.com and on the shelves of local drugstores are not inspected by third party regulators with FDA oversight. The majority are selling weakly concentrated ingredients, and there is growing concern that many products are testing in the danger zone for toxic chemicals and fillers.
Below are two companies that weve tested and found to produce lab grade turmeric and boswellia serrata. Their cost is higher due to the quality of ingredients and their strict self-imposed testing standards. Still, the cost is small compared to prices of pharmaceuticals.
Hip Exercise: Hip Extension
Strengthens your buttocks
- Lie on your stomach on a firm, flat surface with a pillow under your hips. Keep your head, neck, and upper body relaxed.
- Bend one knee 90°.
- Lift your leg straight up.
- Slowly lower your leg down to the floor, counting to 5.
- Do 8 reps then complete the exercise on the other side.
Tip: Begin with 8 reps, using only your body weight and progress to 12, recommends Dr. Johnson. When that becomes easier, add ankle weights in one-pound increments. Each time you increase the weight, start again at 8 reps, working back up to 12.
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Choosing A Pharmacologic Agent To Prevent Ra Which One
The above described attempts at RA prevention have selected specific pharmacologic agents and duration of therapy that were hoped to abrogate the progression of disease. The duration of therapy is a particular important point because ideally, a pharmacologic intervention would be given for a short and well-defined period of time, and lead to permanent abrogation of autoimmunity, although even starting an immunomodulatory agent that needs to be continued to maintain disease quiescence may still be beneficial if some of the damage from early, clinically apparent RA could be prevented.
As to which pharmacologic agents should be used to prevent progression from undifferentiated IA to RA, or used even earlier in the natural history of RA that remains open for debate. Should drugs that target relatively specific aspects of immunity ) be used, or should agents be used that may have broader immunologic effects, such as methotrexate and hydroxychloroquine that likely affect the immune system through several pathways? Since many studies of early RA suggest that combination therapy with either methotrexate and anti-TNF agents, or even triple therapy are superior to monotherapy in controlling disease, should a combination of those medications be used to prevent future RA in high-risk individuals?
Can Dog Arthritis Be Cured
How long can arthritis be treated cureable? It is, however, unfortunate that it is not possible. If your dogs joint are damaged by glucosamine or an FDA-approved substance, it is unlikely to be completely repaired. Nevertheless, such pets can be made pain-free after proper medication administration with sensible management so as to prevent deterioration further.
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Seek A Specialist For Hip Pain
If you are experiencing pain in your hip, its best to see an experienced orthopedic physician. If you are having sudden and excruciating hip pain, you may want to head over to an orthopedic urgent care center. These special clinics are staffed by orthopedic specialists, and the great part is that you can just walk right in no appointment is necessary.
Patients who have had a hip joint injury in the past tend to develop arthritis in that same spot of the injury. An orthopedic doctor can recommend preventive treatment methods to reduce your arthritis risk and your need for hip surgery in the future.
Risk Factors For Hip Arthritis
- Age. The older you are, the more likely you have worn out the cartilage in your hip joint.
- Excess weight. Being overweight or obese puts additional stress on the hips.
- Injury. Severe injury, such as a hip fracture or labral tears, can cause arthritis years later.
- Overuse. Jobs and sports that require physically repetitive motions that place stress on the hip can increase risk for developing osteoarthritis.
- Gender. Women who are postmenopausal are more likely to develop hip osteoarthritis than men. Rheumatoid arthritis affects women more than men.
- Structural or developmental abnormalities. Irregularly shaped bones forming the hip joint, such as with hip dysplasia and impingement, can lead to abnormal stress on the cartilage.
- Autoimmune triggers. While the causes of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis remain unknown, triggers of autoimmune diseases are an area of active investigation. For example, infection is believed to be one of the triggers for psoriasis.
- Genetics. Certain autoimmune conditions that lead to hip arthritis may run in the family.
- Other health conditions. People with diabetes, high cholesterol, hemochromatosis and vitamin D deficiency are more likely to develop osteoarthritis.
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Can You Prevent Hip Osteoarthritis
I was in my 50s when the changes of osteoarthritis could be seen on an x-ray of my hip. I joined a growing number of middle aged and younger adults with hip pain and joint damage. My path has been one of continually adapting or removing activities that I love in order to limit pain and extra strain on my joints. Over the past 10 years my hip pain has slowly gone from being intermittent and mild to more frequent and stronger, which leads me to ask:
- Am I looking at a future of increasing pain and disability leading to a joint replacement in my 60s?
- Will I have another replacement when the first one wears out, perhaps in my 80s?
- Will I be fit enough for that second replacement to enable me to continue to live independently as I age?
- What will happen to people who get hip pain in their 40s or earlier?
Searching for the cause of hip OA
In a current study at Arthritis Research Canada, researchers are working to understand the causes of hip OA. The researchers are looking for strategies to slow or prevent progression of the disease. In the first part of the study they discovered that 15-25% of people have a mild boney deformity in the shape of their hip joint bones. This deformity is called Femoral Acetabular Impingement, or FAI. The abnormal shape of the top of the thigh bone or the hip socket bone can cause pinching or bumping during certain hip movements.
The effect of the deformity can be viewed on the following videos of hip bones during bending:
Symptoms Of Arthritic Hip Pain
Patients suffering from hip arthritis may experience many symptoms in their hip joint. Here are some of the most common symptoms associated with the condition:
- A dull ache or sharp pain in the joint
- Reduced range of movements
- Stiffness and swelling in the joint
- The pain may radiate to the groin, knees, buttock, and inner thigh areas at times
Of course, if you suspect you have arthritis, consult with your personal physician as soon as possible for the best treatment plan for you and your individual medical conditions.
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Why Surgery Isnt Always The Answer
I met a woman when I was working in a traditional physical therapy clinic a few years ago. She was an avid tennis player and golfer. She had started to develop back pain but just thought she would try to shake it off.
She stopped playing tennis and golf because the rotation made her back go into a spasm.
A month went by and her pain continued to get worse. She continued to spend more time resting and continued to decline. Her life became Advil and inactivity.
Finally after 12 months of this, she had to use a cane to walk around her home.
Finally after 18 months of chronic back pain, she couldnt take it anymore.
She went to see her surgeon and had a spinal fusion done. She knew a long road to recovery was ahead but she really wanted to get back to activity.
After she had recovered, her surgeon told her at her appointment she will have a hard time playing both tennis and golf because her range of motion will likely be permanently limited from the fusion.
Unfortunately this is the typical road for a lot of people living with degenerative disc disease. Typically they arent aware that pain relief is possible outside of surgery. But heres the problem
Many patients are mistakenly led to the belief that can be cured by surgery, sadly failed surgeries and residual neurological deficits are common
It is important to understand that surgery does have a time and a place. But with degenerative disc disease, surgery is rarely warranted but many people think it is the only option.