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Arthritis Pain
Roughly 50 million Americans suffer from some sort of pain related to arthritis. This pain can last a lifetime and at times goes in spurts. At times you may feel great, other times you can have sudden flare ups that are very painful.
What is Arthritis?
Arthritis is caused by many things but usually involves the wearing down, or degeneration, of joint surfaces. Most often this is due to general “wear and tear” of the joints over many years of use. It can also be due to other conditions that cause inflammation in the joint possibly leading to swelling, pain, and redness. Depletion of cartilage and lubricating fluid in the joint can result in the bones rubbing against each other or buildup of fluid in the joint, causing swelling and pain.
What are the types of Arthritis?
Rheumatoid Arthritis:
A chronic inflammatory disorder affecting many joints, including those in the hands and feet caused by the body attacking its own joint surfaces. This is known as an auto-immune arthritis as the immune system attacks your own body.
Psoriatic Arthritis:
A form of arthritis that affects some people who have the skin condition psoriasis.
Osteoarthritis:
A type of arthritis that occurs when flexible tissue, or cartilage, in the joints wears down.
Gout:
A form of arthritis characterized by severe pain, redness, and tenderness in joints due to excess uric acid in the blood that is deposited in the joint in the form of painful, microscopic crystals.
Treatment
It’s important to know what is causing arthritis in order to develop a treatment plan in conjunction with arthritis pain management. If you have a condition like psoriasis or rheumatoid arthritis causing pain in the joints you need to discuss treatment options with your primary physician and possible referral to a specialist to manage the underlying condition. At JPI we often manage pain due to osteoarthritis and can help manage pain in conjunction with other specialists when arthritis is due to other conditions such as those mentioned above. There are medications, injections, and physical therapy treatments that can help manage your arthritis pain so you can function more comfortably and enjoy your life again. We look forward to discussing these options more in depth with you at your appointment!
