If you have been recently diagnosed with arthritis, or have lived with it for some time, you may be unsure as to whether your arthritis may spread from one part of your body to another. Arthritis can develop and become worse, spreading from affected areas. However, arthritis is not contagious.
Experts confirm that once OA starts, it may take years to reach a severe stage. However, in extreme cases, OA progresses rapidly to complete the destruction of the cartilage within a few months.
Migratory arthritis is when pain spreads from one joint to another joint in the body. This can happen with any type of arthritis, as well as with other medical conditions, such as lupus, IBS, or Hepatitis B or C. Chronic inflammation and the deterioration of joint tissue are the main causes of migratory pain.
Rheumatoid arthritis can be one of the most painful types of arthritis; it affects joints as well as other surrounding tissues, including organs. This inflammatory, autoimmune disease attacks healthy cells by mistake, causing painful swelling in the joints, like hands, wrists and knees.
Your doctor will check for swollen joints, tenderness, redness, warmth, or loss of motion in the joints. Use imaging tests like X-rays. These can often tell what kind of arthritis you have.
Pain from arthritis can be constant or it may come and go. It may occur when at rest or while moving. Pain may be in one part of the body or in many different parts. Some types of arthritis cause the skin over the affected joint to become red and swollen, feeling warm to the touch.
The most common triggers of an OA flare are overdoing an activity or trauma to the joint. Other triggers can include bone spurs, stress, repetitive motions, cold weather, a change in barometric pressure, an infection or weight gain. Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an inflammatory disease that affects the skin and joints.
Physical activity is a simple and effective, drug-free way to relieve arthritis pain. Being physically active can reduce pain, improve function, mood, and quality of life for adults with arthritis. Regular physical activity can contribute to improved sleep and support bone health, brain health, and weight control.
Heat and cold.
Use of heat, such as applying heating pads to aching joints, taking hot baths or showers, or immersing painful joints in warm paraffin wax, can help relieve pain temporarily. Be careful not to burn yourself. Use heating pads for no more than 20 minutes at a time.
Osteoarthritis is also responsible for most knee and hip replacements as well as spinal stenosis.” Most of us will start getting osteoarthritis in our late 40s or early 50s, and the disease gets worse with age, she explained.
It most commonly starts among people between the ages of 40 and 60. It's more common in women than men. There are drugs that can slow down an over-active immune system and therefore reduce the pain and swelling in joints.
It often starts when a person is between 30 and 50 years old. Women are more likely to be affected than men. In rheumatoid arthritis, the body's immune system targets affected joints, which leads to pain and swelling. The outer covering (synovium) of the joint is the first place affected.
NSAIDs are the most effective oral medicines for OA. They include ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) naproxen (Aleve) and diclofenac (Voltaren, others). All work by blocking enzymes that cause pain and swelling.
Bananas and Plantains are high in magnesium and potassium that can increase bone density. Magnesium may also alleviate arthritis symptoms.
X-rays are often a good tool for determining if arthritis exists and, specifically, what type. Common types of arthritis include rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and osteoarthritis. Several less common types of arthritis also occur with regular frequency.
Depending on the type of arthritis, signs and symptoms may include: Pain. Stiffness. Swelling.
Lying down can cause inflammatory chemicals to pool in the fluid that cushions your joints, which makes them stiffen up. And your perception of pain may be heightened during the nighttime because you're not distracted by anything else.
It's safe to take paracetamol regularly for many years, as long as you do not take more than the recommended dose.
Joint scans
Scans may be done to check for joint inflammation and damage. These can help tell the difference between types of arthritis and can be used to monitor how your condition is progressing over time. Scans that may be done to diagnose and monitor rheumatoid arthritis include: X-rays.
People with rheumatoid arthritis typically have several permanently inflamed joints. The inflammation inside the body can lead to general physical weakness, drowsiness and exhaustion. This feeling of extreme tiredness is also called "fatigue." Some people find this to be the worst symptom of the disease.