Arthritis Myths

If you crack your knuckles, you’re more likely to end up with arthritis. Wrong! That’s just one of many popular misconceptions about arthritis. While cracking your knuckles could injure an individual joint, it won’t cause arthritis. Here are some more myths about arthritis! Overuse of joints leads to arthritis. Wrong! If overusing a joint caused arthritis, wouldn’t you only get it in the hand you write with and not in the off-hand? While repeated injury to a joint can lead to a particular type of arthritis (degenerative arthritis, where the joint is breaking down), repeated USE of a joint won’t … Continue reading →

Arthritis could Cause Knee Replacements to Rise

Experts predict that the number of hip and knee replacements performed in the United States could skyrocket over the next seven years. Why? A larger elderly population in the country — seventy-six million Americans will hit retirement age in 2008. An increase in arthritis in the American population. Arthritis affects more than forty-six million Americans each year and is most common in older adults. An increase in obesity among Americans — every one pound of weight on your body means three or more pounds of pressure on your knees. Carrying extra weight can also make you more likely to develop … Continue reading →

Fight Arthritis with Ants

Researchers from the School of Chinese Medicine at Hong Kong Baptist University are looking at a traditional folk remedy to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other chronic diseases. A certain type of Chinese ant (Polyrhacis lamellidens for you scientific types) has long been used in Chinese folk medicine to treat chronic conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and hepatitis. For centuries, the little ant has been used as a painkiller and an anti-inflammatory agent to help reduce the symptoms of various chronic diseases. The study from the School of Chinese Medicine at Hong Kong Baptist University looked at extracts made from the ants. … Continue reading →

A Gluten-Free Diet for Rheumatoid Arthritis

You might not think about a gluten-free diet unless you have celiac disease (gluten allergy). Swedish researchers want you to think again — especially if you have rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease that has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. A recent study from Karolinska University Hospital in Sweden looked at diet in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Researchers divided rheumatoid arthritis sufferers into two groups: one group ate a vegan and gluten-free diet (vegetables, fruits, nuts, no wheat proteins, and no animal products like meat, cheese, or eggs); one … Continue reading →

Aquatic Exercise for Arthritis

A workout in the water has been a popular treatment for people with arthritis for the past twenty-five years or so. Why? Because a water workout can help improve flexibility, relieve pain, ease stiffness, and increase range of motion — without impact on affected joints. Benefits of a workout in the water: Age is no barrier. As long as you can float (and there are floatation belts to help you out) you can manage a water workout. Physical condition is no barrier. You don’t have to be able to walk or stand unassisted (again, those floatation belts come in handy) … Continue reading →

The Right Foods for Your Knees

After the holidays, I was sitting on the floor with the dogs while I watched one of my new DVDs. When I got up (after the hour and a half on the floor), my right knee was killing me. It ended up bothering me for close to a week, so I went with the RICE plan: rest, ice, compression, elevation. Eventually, the pain went away. I figure that I must have either been in a bad position on the floor or twisted something trying to get up. Your knees take a lot of abuse over a lifetime. I read somewhere … Continue reading →

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

According to the Arthritis Foundation, the most common form of arthritis in children is juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. The disease affects each child differently; some have a more mild case with few problems and symptoms while others have severe cases with serious complications. Symptoms of JRA include: Joint inflammation Stiffness and bending of the joints, also known as joint contracture Joint damage Change in growth Joint stiffness following rest, also known as morning stiffness Muscle weakness Weakness in soft tissues around joints with JRA There are three major types of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Pauciarticular JRA affects four joints or less. Approximately … Continue reading →

What Is Rheumatoid Arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis is less common than osteoarthritis — only about one percent of the adult population in the United States suffers from the disease. Many different joints can be affected; rheumatoid arthritis can even affect the blood, lungs, and heart. How is rheumatoid arthritis different from osteoarthritis? Osteoarthritis is caused by a deterioration of the cartilage that cushions your joints; rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammation of the joint lining known as the synovium. The affected joints may lose shape, affecting movement. The disease lasts a long time, and may flare up (periods of active symptoms) and go into remission (periods … Continue reading →

Risk Factors For Osteoarthritis

Really, just about anyone has a chance of developing osteoarthritis. However, some things can make you more susceptible than other people. Your age. Age is the number one risk factor for osteoarthritis; the disease is most often seen in older people. However, osteoarthritis can start in younger people, often due to a joint injury. Experts predict that by the year 2030, approximately seventy million people will be at risk for osteoarthritis. Your gender. Before the age of forty five, osteoarthritis is more often seen in men. After that, osteoarthritis — especially in the hand — is seen more often in … Continue reading →

What is Osteoarthritis?

The most common form of arthritis in the United States is osteoarthritis. Approximately twenty-one million adults suffer from osteoarthritis! Osteoarthritis starts with the breakdown of cartilage in a joint, causing pain and stiffness over time. Symptoms include steady or intermittent pain in a joint, stiffness after inactivity (like sleeping or sitting), swelling or tenderness in the joint, and a crunching sound or feeling when the joint is used. This last is the rubbing of bone on bone called crepitus. Experts aren’t sure why osteoarthritis happens. Some believe that the joint damage starts in response to physical stress, like an injury … Continue reading →