There Is More Than One Kind Of Arthritis
Posted on June 8, 2008 - Filed Under Health and Fitness
No matter what type of arthritis people are actually talking about, they call it arthritis. What they don’t know is that arthritis is actually a cluster of over 100 different diseases that cause joint inflammation, damage, and disability. Arthritis is a disease that most often strikes people after the age of sixty-five, but it can happen at any age. Each of the different kinds of arthritis has its own distinct cause.
When you first suspect you have arthritis, you need to see your doctor right away. You’ll be doing yourself a favor if you get an early diagnosis and start treatment as soon as possible. Your doctor will be able to tell you which of the different arthritides (types of arthritis) you are suffering from. He will ask you how much pain you are having and where it is located. He’ll want to know if you’ve been having any swelling and stiffness as well as which of your joints you are having trouble moving. Then he’ll be able to determine the arthritide you’re suffering form and prescribe appropriate treatment.
A patient with osteoarthritis will have the most pronounced pains at night or after resting, whereas a person with rheumatoid arthritis will have more pain in the morning. Children and the elderly will typically experience less pronounced pain but will have more problems with movement and joint function.
Patients can suffer from a number of different arthritides including juvenile, gout/pseudogout, Ankylosing spondylitis, septic, and Still’s disease. Treatment varies from type to type, but it is generally some type of medication and arthroplasty. If other treatments fail to keep the arthritis under control, doctors have the option of performing prosthetic joint replacement surgery. This has proven to be both successful and popular.
The first case of human arthritis was recorded in approximately 4500 B.C., but paleontologists have traced the disease back even further through the bones of dinosaurs which give evidence to ankle osteoarthritis. In our own country, the earliest remains that have been found which show signs of arthritis are those of ancient Native Americans found in Tennessee and Kansas.
A mummy dating back to around 3000 B.C. is the earliest mummy scientists have found which exhibits signs of having had arthritis. As early as 500 B.C. records show that people were using willow bark to alleviate the pain and swelling of arthritis. In modern times, it has been estimated that at least a trillion doses of pain killers have been used in the search for relief from arthritis pain.
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