In a recent survey of seniors that the highest ranking elder chronic condition at 48% is arthritis. The second at 45% is high blood pressure, while other conditions such as diabetes are found in a much lower rank at 25% and less.
Arthritis is the swelling and tenderness of one or more joints. The main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsen with age. The most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
Osteoarthritis causes cartilage, the hard, slippery tissue that covers the ends of bones where they form a joint, to break down. Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease in which the immune system attacks the joints, beginning with the lining of joints.
Osteoarthritis, the most common affliction, has often been referred to as a wear and tear disease. However, besides the breakdown of cartilage, osteoarthritis affects the entire joint. It causes changes in the bone and deterioration of the connective tissues that hold the joint together and attach muscle to bone. It also causes inflammation of the joint lining.
Doctors now have a host of effective arthritis treatments: medications, pain management, such as cortisone shots, surgical options, integrative medicine, new support systems and more psychological help for people struggling with joint pain. People diagnosed with arthritis today have hope – and a great likelihood – that their disease can be treated and put into remission.
One of the highly recommended and best sources of information such as described above about understanding and treating arthritis is The Mayo Clinic Guide by Lynne S. Peterson (2020). Understanding much more about arthritis will not provide a cure but it will help all of us manage our arthritis much more effectively.
Submitted to OnRichmindHill.com by Brian Porter.
For advice about seniors and care at home, please kindly contact Brian Porter, Director and Owner of Living Assistance Services (LAS), at 416.483.0070 (office), 905.758.2486 (cell) or [email protected] and visit: www.laservices.ca
