Osteoarthritis - What Are The Causes And Can You Prevent Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is generally equated with a disease of wear and tear and old age. Although it does usually accompany old age, researchers have found that the cartilage in a joint with osteoarthritis is chemically different than a joint without the disease.

Researchers have also found that there are a series of events that lead to the development of Osteoarthritis and that it isn't associated with age alone. These events involve the production, maintenance and breakdown of the cartilage in the joints. These joints are often of the larger weight bearing joints of the body such as the knees and hips, which provide the majority of the cushion when we are doing any weight bearing exercise such as walking, running etc.

Athletes who also perform repetitive motion exercise that is weight bearing on a joint, such as rowing, will find that Osteoarthritis also will develop in the elbow and shoulder areas.

Researchers believe that there is a genetic component to the development of the disease but they have not yet conclusively found that link. They have found that there is a higher correlation in the development of this arthritis between parent and child or siblings than between husband and wife.

In a study completed in 2000 a gene was identified which was thought to regulate the production of a chemical, pyrophosphate, which inhibits the formation of mineral deposits in the joints. They theorize that this chemical may protect the cartilage in the joints. About 60% of patients with Osteoarthritis were found to have mineral deposits in their joints.

People with this disease also have muscle weakness, especially in the quadriceps muscles. These are the four large muscles in the front of the thigh that enable the body to extend the knee. Researchers understand that the arthritis creates a painful situation and patients may not exercise, therefore decreasing their muscle strength. However, they also theorize that the weakness, especially in the quadriceps, pre-dates the development and actually causes the degeneration of the joint. The stronger the muscle mass the better able the body is to protect the joints.

Anatomical reasons also are considered to be involved in the development of this arthritis. Research has found that people who are 'bow-legged' or 'knock-kneed' are more likely to develop progressive osteoarthritis in the knees. Other research has found that some people are born with joints that don't meet smoothly and cartilage that isn't formed correctly.

Injuries also play a large part in the joint changes that lead to Osteoarthritis. People with knee injuries early in life were 16% more likely to develop arthritis in the affected knee than those without an injury. Other medical conditions have also been found to play a part in the cause of Osteoarthritis. Hemophiliacs have the potential to bleed into the joints causing damage to the cartilage. People with chronic gout and pseudogout have mineral deposits in the joints from the crystals that cause the gout. People with rheumatoid arthritis already have joint damaging inflammation that injures to the cartilage.

Although the causes of Osteoarthritis have not been completely defined people can use the knowledge that researchers now have to potentially delay the onset or stop the development of this painful disease.

Best Diet For Someone With Osteoarthritis

The best diet for someone with osteoarthritis is a whole food diet. But, since that answer may seem too simple, let's look a little closer.

Essentially "whole food" means food that isn't processed. When natural food is processed many of the important nutrients are removed or rendered useless.

For example, whole grains contain protein, carbohydrates and essential fatty acids. When they're made into bread, pasta or flour, the fatty acids are removed - not because they aren't good for you, but rather because they can become rancid and spoil.

This would shorten the "shelf life" of the product, cutting into the manufacturer's bottom line. Therefore, they take these essential fatty acids out of your bread.

So you can see why it's important to eat food as close to it's natural state as possible. This ensures they're still loaded with vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes, fatty acids, and other vital factors that contribute to your health.

Okay, now that you're ready to eat whole foods, which foods should you choose for osteoarthritis? Good question.

Besides eating a well balanced diet of whole grains, vegetables, fresh fruit, lean meat and dairy, you'll want to focus on the specific foods that prevent inflammation, improve collagen and promote healthy cartilage and bones.

The main food in the anti-inflammatory category is oily fish. Two to five servings a week plus daily fish oil supplements will help your body overcome chronic inflammation.

Some secondary anti-inflammatory foods include things like blueberries, red and black grapes, beets, citrus and garlic.

The best foods to improve collagen, which gives your tissues more strength and elasticity, are those in the citrus family.

For healthy bones, you need strong collagen as well as calcium from dairy or eggshells and amino acids from quality protein sources.

And finally, to make sure you're keeping your joint cartilage intact and to repair any that might get damaged you need glucosamine. Shellfish, including the shell, are the best food sources for this.

Now I know it's not always easy in our fast paced lives to eat as well as you should. So if you're truly committed to the best diet for someone with osteoarthritis, then you should also supplement your diet with natural food based supplements.

The best supplements to help prevent and relieve symptoms of osteoarthritis are omega 3 fatty acids from fish and glucosamine hydrochloride from shrimp and lobster. The first relieves inflammation and the second protects your joint cartilage.

These two work very well together to produce incredible results. And a glucosamine supplement is a lot easier that eating the shells of shrimp and lobster.

Also consider supplementing your diet with calcium and vitamin C complex, especially if you're a woman. Both are important for your bones and C complex gives you the added benefit of supporting healthy collagen.

Since the best diet for someone with osteoarthritis is whole foods, it's time to throw away all those processed and packaged foods. They offer you nothing but nutritionally empty calories.

Osteoarthritis of the Knee - Preventing Knee Replacement With Options That Do Not Require Surgery

Osteoarthritis is a common joint disease that affects millions of American adults. Osteoarthritis of the knee, an often painful condition, involves a loss of articular cartilage that typically covers the ends of the bones within the knee-joint. Typically there is about 5 mm of cartilage covering the ends of the two bones within the knee-joint.

If you have osteoarthritis of the knee, the articular cartilage that normally covers the ends of these bones and provides cushioning breaks down. Once there is widespread loss of articular cartilage within the knee-joint it cannot be replaced with new cartilage. This leads to symptoms including pain, loss of motion, swelling and stiffness. Further, bone spurs also start to develop in the knee-joint.

As reported by the CDC, people with past knee injuries and people who are severely overweight or obese are at an increased risk of osteoarthritis in the knee.

Treatment Options for Osteoarthritis in the Knee

There are a variety of treatments for osteoarthritis. Some people opt for a surgical option like total knee replacement. In addition, there are also many ways to treat the condition that do not involve surgery. Knee replacements give some patients significant pain relief and in other patients total knee replacement can actually cause more pain. In addition, knee replacement surgery comes with risks that include blood clots and infections. Other medical complications sometimes associated with a total knee replacements are heart attacks, stroke and blood loss requiring transfusion.

It's also important to recognize that joint replacement does not last forever. There are scientific studies that show that replaced joints may need more work after a period as short as 10 years. Delaying a total knee replacement or better yet, preventing it from ever occurring, is ideal. Non-surgical options for osteoarthritis in the knee can help to cut pain, decrease stiffness, improve muscle strength and increase the knee's range of motion.

Treatment for Knee Arthritis that does not Involve Surgery

The non-surgical treatment of knee arthritis focuses on pain reduction, strength improvement and increasing range of motion while reducing stiffness. Nonsurgical treatment options for osteoarthritis in the knee include:

1) hyaluronic acid injections,

2) unloader knee braces,

3) PRP (platelet rich plasma) and

4) physical therapy.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a naturally occurring fluid in the knee. With osteoarthritis, the composition of the hyaluronic acid in the knee changes. Typically it is a thick fluid that lubricates the knee joint. With the advancement of osteoarthritis, HA loses its normal properties and becomes thin and watery.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) injections only cause minor discomfort. The injection is performed in the doctor's office and takes less than 20 seconds to do. There are several different brands of hyaluronic acid on the market. Some brands require a series of three injections and others are just one shot. HA injections can give pain relief for up to a year or more in patients with osteoarthritis. If you are allergic to egg products, you are not eligible for the injections.

Unloader knee braces are another nonsurgical option for treating osteoarthritis in the knee and reducing pain. Most patients with knee osteoarthritis will have one side of the knee where the osteoarthritis is less advanced. The outer half of the knee joint is often less affected by osteoarthritis while the inner half of the knee is more commonly affected. The brace, called an "unloader," unloads the half of the knee that has more osteoarthritis and forces the person to place more weight on the "good" side of the knee.

The unloader knee brace is good to use during activity including going shopping, walking to work, or engaging in a sporting activity. It's important to note that the leg must accommodate a brace.

Platelet Rich Plasma or PRP is now one of the hottest topics being researched in orthopedic medicine. Platelet rich plasma is used to treat a range of orthopaedic conditions including plantar fasciitis. The process involves drawing blood peripherally from the patient and then separating out the blood that is rich in plasma. The platelet rich plasma used for treatment has important components of the blood that have the potential to heal. This process is easily performed in the doctor's office.

Physical therapy is another way to help reduce the symptoms of knee arthritis. There are three types of exercises for patients with knee arthritis: flexibility, resistance and cardiovascular.

Flexibility exercises are very good for easing stiff joints which will help people with activities of daily living. You should try to do the stretches in the morning. They are easier to do in warm bath water.

Resistance exercises build muscles around the arthritic joints and building muscle helps to absorb shock and protect the knee joint from further injury. There are two types of resistance exercises: isometric and isotonic. Isometric are typically the easiest for people with osteoarthritis to perform. Strengthening occurs with the contraction of different leg muscles without moving the joint.

Cardiovascular exercises use big groups of muscles. The best recommendation for cardiovascular fitness if you have arthritis in your knee is water aerobics or cycling. The National Arthritis Foundation is a great resource for exercise DVDs. A referral to a local physical therapist can also be helpful.

Osteoarthritis of the knee is a painful condition. If you think that you might be suffering from arthritis in your knee, you might want to consult an orthopaedic doctor like Orthopaedic Specialists for an assessment, and to explore your treatment options. Orthopaedic physicians specialize in bone disorders, musculoskeletal conditions and joint disabilities including osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis - Can You Fight It?

You Can Fight Osteoarthritis

If you think you may have osteoarthritis, the best thing you can do for yourself is to take a pro-active role in your health. You should see your primary care physician as soon as possible. He or she can use x-rays to monitor how far along your osteoarthritis has progressed, and possibly recommend prescription medication.

You and your doctor can work together to make a plan that is right for you and your osteoarthritis. Not only will this plan help you slow down the progression of your osteoarthritis, but it will also teach you how to manage your pain and live an active and normal life. Your plan will include weight control, medication, exercise, joint protection, and possibly occupational or physical therapy.

Osteoarthritis is regarded as the most common type of arthritis. As you may have guessed, Osteoarthritis can be caused by many number of things. Overweight individuals are at the highest risk category for osteoarthritis, since carrying the excess weight can cause joint cartilage to break down. Previous joint injuries can also leave you prone to osteoarthritis. If you have suffered an injury to a joint, or if you do workouts which are high impact, you should monitor the health of your joints.

Although most individuals with osteoarthritis are hesitant or prefer not to exercise, your doctor will likely encourage you to exercise. Exercise will help your joints from becoming stiff and it will also help strengthen your muscles. When you first start exercising, you may experience pain. This will usually decrease with time, but you may find that over the counter medications help to relieve the pain. You may also want to apply compresses to your joints. Here's a simple rule: If you suffer with inflammation, you will want to apply a cold compress. If you have tight or sore muscles, a heat compress will work best.

You may also want to add a dietary supplement to your daily regime. An example is a dietary supplement such as glucosamine, which is believed to relieve pain and slow down the degenerative process of arthritis. Always let your doctor know if you are adding a dietary supplement to your osteoarthritis health plan.

Knee Brace For Arthritis - Osteoarthritis - Special Report on Bracing

Knee Supports For Arthritic Knees

Knee injuries are one of the most common types of injuries that a person can suffer from. It is easy to twist a knee and cause ligament damage or to fall and dislocate one's patella. Of course, a great deal of pain and instability can come from damage which one receives.

Arthritis & "Old Age"

Old age can seem to cause a great deal of pain and this is why a person who is experiencing discomfort should look into using knee supports for arthritic knees. This can help to relieve a great deal of the pain that many people would commonly feel as a simple part of "getting older" and having their joints wear down.

The knee is a joint located between two bones, the femur and the tibia and is filled with ligaments, tendons and muscles which help to connect these two bones to each other while still providing the leg with the mobility to bend, twist and pivot. The rest of the space is filled in with cartilage, which can help to cushion the weight that the body presses down. The normal joint is surrounded by a membrane which produces a thick fluid to help keep the cartilage slippery and moving well.

How Do Knee Supports for Arthritic Knees Help the Pain?

When using a knee brace for an individual who suffers from arthritis, one can reasonably expect to have their pain be somewhat relieved. Sometimes the pain relief is greater than this... Arthritis is a condition which, once it begins in the body, it will have long-lasting effects and the most that one can hope for is to simply relieve the pain which it causes. The knee brace will help to keep the knee from shifting into positions where this pain might be caused. Keeping the knee in proper alignment can help stop any of the ends from grinding and becoming painful.

Specific knee braces, sometimes referred to as OA braces, which are used to help with arthritic pain can help to provide support to your knee. This support will help stop the knee from swiveling in an inappropriate way and causing more pain or damage. The pressure can also help to relieve the swelling, keeping the arthritic pain from affecting a person too much. Using knee supports for arthritic knees will not cure arthritis, but it can certainly help to make mobility much easier for anyone who suffers from it.

Glutathione (Glutathione) Antioxidant and Osteoarthritis

This article on osteoarthritis is for information only. There are many causes of joint inflammation and you should consult with your physician for diagnosis and treatment.

Osteoarthritis (OA) or degenerative joint disease or is the most common form of arthritis. Osteoarthritis occurs over time from wear and tear on the cartilage (cushion) of the joints. Osteoarthritis can affect any joint in your body, though it most commonly affects joints in your hands, hips, knees and spine. Osteoarthritis typically affects just one joint, though in some cases, such as with finger arthritis, several joints can be affected.

There is no cure for osteoarthritis but osteoarthritis treatments can relieve pain and help you remain active. Taking steps to actively manage your osteoarthritis may help you gain control over your osteoarthritis pain

According to the Center for Disease control osteoarthritis affects 13.9% of adults aged 25 and older and 33.6% (12.4 million) of those 65 and older. An estimated 26.9 million United States adults in 2005 up from 21 million in 1990 (believed to be conservative estimate).

Osteoarthritis symptoms most commonly affect the hands, hips, knees and spine. Unless you've been injured or placed unusual stress on a joint, it's uncommon for osteoarthritis symptoms to affect your jaw, shoulder, elbows, wrists or ankles.

It isn't clear what causes osteoarthritis in most cases. Researchers suspect that it's a combination of factors, including being overweight, the aging process, joint injury or stress, heredity, and muscle weakness

Osteoarthritis symptoms often develop slowly and worsen over time. Signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis include:

- Pain in a joint during or after use, or after a period of inactivity

- Tenderness in the joint when you apply light pressure

- Stiffness in a joint, that may be most noticeable when you wake up in the morning or after a period of inactivity

- Loss of flexibility may make it difficult to use the joint

- Grating sensation when you use the joint

- Bone spurs, which appear as hard lumps, may form around the affected joint

- Swelling in some cases

Regan and colleagues in the 2008 Journal of Osteoarthritis and Cartilage showed us that joint fluid from patients with osteoarthritis was characterized by significantly decreased superoxide dismutase levels and significant decreases in glutathione compared to the reference group of knee joints with pain or sub acute injury but macroscopically intact cartilage.

Afonso and colleagues in the 2007 Journal of Joint Bone Spine discussed the role of superoxide dismutase in preventing the formation of aggressive free radicals that play a role in joint inflammation.

Kalpakcioglu and colleagues in the 2008 Journal of Clinical Rheumatology reviewed the interaction of antioxidants against free radicals in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. There was evidence that antioxidants: glutathione reductase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and glucose-6-phopshate destroy these free radicals.

More studies are available online; search "glutathione and osteoarthritis" in PubMed. Traditional treatment involves use of non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) and Tylenol to relieve pain and inflammation. This is certainly reasonable in the acute phase. Rest, bracing and crutches/walker may be necessary to rest the joint to allow the inflamed tissues to heal. As the inflammation calms down begin joint motion and strength exercises as soon as possible to prevent debilitation.

A weight loss program is critical to the long term health of your joints and your body if you are overweight. As little as ten pounds can make a difference. Weight loss strategies can be found in my articles. There are many low impact activities that can help you burn calories as well. Check with your doctor before you start an exercise program.

There are many glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate supplements on the market. The scientific literature has mixed reviews on their effectiveness. I tell my patients to try it for a month or two and see if it makes a difference.

The scientific research showed me the importance of antioxidants glutathione, superoxide dismutase and catalase in osteoarthritis. The right nutrition and a low inflammatory diet will help you ease the pain of osteoathritis in my opinion and the opinion of many others.

The pharmaceutical companies will not take care of you. The government will not be able to take care of you. Why not take steps NOW to take care of yourself so that you can live a long, healthy AND productive life?

I wish you health and prosperity.

What is Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and is also known as degenerative joint disease. In this form of arthritis, the cartilage that covers the ends of the bones that connect at the joint wears away, exposing the bone and causing pain. This condition may also involve a decrease in the amount of joint fluid, called synovial fluid, that cushions the joint, as well as changes in the ligaments and muscles that stabilize the joint.

Osteoarthritis, or OA, can be a condition that develops without any pre-existing factors, or can occur as a result of another condition. When OA occurs without another condition present, it is usually associated with age, although not every older person develops OA. There is a strong hereditary component to OA, as members of the same family often develop the condition. OA also develops as the result of other conditions, such as prior injuries, congenital hip deformities, diabetes, obesity, and infections.

The primary symptom of OA is pain. Swelling is usually mild. Stiffness does occur, especially as the disease advances. A joint may become painful and stiff to the point that it becomes immobile if no treatment is provided.

OA is not curable and the damage caused is permanent. The symptoms can be controlled through conservative treatment of the symptoms, including:

*getting enough rest
*regular exercise
*diet and weight control
*joint protection techniques
*anti-inflammatory pain medication
*topical pain treatments

These techniques are often enough to slow the progression of OA and preserve the joint for many years. Chiropractic or Physical Therapy may also be helpful periodically to manage periods of increased pain or instability.

When OA becomes advanced or a joint becomes too unstable to use, surgical intervention may be necessary. One form of surgery used is a joint fusion, where the joint involved is fused together to provide stability and relieve pain. The joint becomes immobile. This type of surgery is often done on the neck or back. The other type of surgery used is a joint replacement, where the worn out ends of the bone are removed and replaced with metal ends, providing a metal joint. A hip replacement is a common example of this type of surgery.

For more information about OA, please visit The Arthritis Foundation website at the http://www.arthritis.org

Arthritis, Osteoarthritis and Hip Dysplasia

Arthritis is defined as a sub-inflammatory disease of the joint. This can occur on the following occasions: luxation (dislocation), distortion (strain), contusion (bruise), infection (after injury, after tick bites or by inflammation in the body via the bloodstream), allergies or intoxication, infections (e.g. flu-like infections with limb pain) or metabolic waste products (uric acid). The pain is often accompanied by a warm swelling of the joint; the animals show varying lameness and feel pain.

The animals have sprained inclinations with flaccid connective tissue (especially poodles). The connective tissue cannot be tightened. Arthritis caused by metabolic disturbances associated with the deposition of uric acid in the joints (and also in the muscle tissue) requires treatment... This must be done; otherwise the dog runs the risk of developing osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is a chronic degenerative joint disease.

Large growing breeds are highly exposed to hip dysplasia. Hip dysplasia, briefly called HD, is defined as follows: "HD is an inherited malformation of the hip joint, in which the acetabulum and the femoral head are not coordinated in shape. The deformity occurs in varying degrees and can be expressed in a form of abnormality of the femoral head or acetabulum or both. HD develops from birth until the age of 1 to 1 ½ years. "This affects large growing breeds. In smaller breeds, HD usually occurs at an advanced age.

Some causes of arthritis maybe the feeding of too much vitamin D3 and minerals, for example, calcium. No more than 1000 IU of vitamin D3 should be used per 1 kg of diet and the calcium requirement for dogs should not exceed 100 mg/kg of body weight. Sure, the body's regulatory mechanisms prevent the accumulation of too much or too little calcium in the blood, but a surplus is usually permanent. Both components (vitamin D3 and calcium) promote bone formation when added in larger amounts in the food.

Arthritis initially appears at the level of the large joints. Hip, shoulder, elbow dysplasia, but also other forms of joint arthritis may have a genetic cause. The femoral head is not always firmly located in the hip socket. A firming of connective tissue (the muscle attachments) is achieved with proper treatment and the femoral head is firmly set back into the acetabulum. Thus, this arthritis is not traumatic. This streamlining process takes several weeks. The animal must be protected during this time.

It is estimated that 90 percent of the large growing dogs which present joint problems are malnourished. Extreme malnutrition (protein deficiency) results in delayed skeletal growth, with joint and growth cartilage being affected. On the other hand, an excess of protein (raw meat, egg yolk), high protein content in the diet or administration of too high energy diets in the early stages of growth are among the main causes of osteoarthritis. An excess of muscle mass causes trauma to the joints.

"Weight trauma" involves an early joint capsule wear. Furthermore, it has been found that dogs (with "weight trauma") present the so-called growth-related bone pain. The joints are a movable connection of the rigid bones. They have to be highly functional. The joints consist of the joint capsule, synovial fluid and articular cartilage coats. The latter and the bones have a particularly important task because they have a huge buffer effect ("shocks") and are responsible for the pressure and strength of the joint. A burden of the joint is impossible or is terribly painful without this cartilage.

The cartilage cells that form the cartilage are referred to as "cartilage factories". They are very busy producing new life-long cartilage cells. The dog needs "building blocks" to repair the cartilage if there is a constant "destroyer" of the cartilage. This should be a universal indication for prevention of osteoarthritis. The animal owners should also perform a feeding analysis on their four-legged friends and change any of the food habits in favor of their pet. There is an urgent need to administer supplementary food for the reconstruction of the cartilage:

- For fast-growing, large breed dogs in a growth phase

- With excessive work of joint cartilage due to extreme stress - hunting dogs, sled dogs, sporting dogs, etc.

The consequences of osteoarthritis are always the same no matter whether we refer to dogs, cats or horses: pain, lameness, reluctance in motion, low quality of life and low vitality.

Arthritis In Knee: Symptoms and Treatment Options

Arthritis in knee is common, although much more common forms of arthritis are found to be in the hands and fingers.

Arthritis in the knee is most commonly known as osteoarthritis. People who suffer with osteoarthritis in their knees may start to notice some stiffness and swelling around the knee cap. These symptoms may get better throughout the day if you encourage regular movement to stop your knees from seizing up.

Osteoarthritis occurs because the body breaks down the cartilage around the joints, this break down can end with the total loss of joint cartilage. When the cartilage breaks down, the bones become inflamed, this inflammation can causes bone protrusions.

The symptoms of osteoarthritis in knees are:

• Sharp pains in the knee area,


• Periods of stiffness which may or may not ease throughout the day.


• Movement difficulties.

Some individuals with osteoarthritis in the knees may not have any noticeable symptoms. This can be because the osteoarthritis develops slowly.

If you have arthritis in knee, natural treatments are available and they may help you cope with the symptoms. These can include;

Red pepper, aids the circulatory system. This can be made into a paste and then rubbed onto the skin of the affected area. Red pepper can also be incorporated into your daily diet.

Cayenne pepper, you can apply this as a paste to the skin or as I stated above or you can incorporate this in foods. This food aids the heart by acting as a stimulant. This can increase the flow of blood throughout the body and will result in a natural pain reliever being produced by the body.

Ginger, is an anti inflammatory this can reduce the aches and pains that are caused by inflammation.

Garlic, aids blood flow in the body, this boost of blood flow can reduce inflammation and may reduce any pain.

A gentle massage of the knees could reduce the aches and pains, this can also increase blood flow. By incorporating an oil into the massage you will be promoting healthy, supple skin.

If you are able to make the required changes to your diet you may start to notice improvements after 2 - 3 weeks. In conjunction will a healthy diet you should try to do at least 30 - 60 minutes of light exercise per day.

If osteoarthritis symptoms are no longer manageable and the pain you are experiencing gets unbearable contact your doctor or other health professional, they will be able to give you adequate advice and they may prescribe pain relief.

Arthritis in knee is a common form of arthritis, symptoms can be dealt with although this condition can not be cured. You will find that you can be prescribed pain relief and ointments or lotions to help cope with the symptoms. In early arthritis in the knee you can reduce the speed that the cartilage breaks down. Anti inflammatory medication will help reduce swelling and soreness.

Arthritis in knee is very common, all symptoms can be dealt with effectively. If you require more information consult a doctor or other health professional.

Chiropractic Care For Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a problem that usually affects people who are 50 years of age or more. It is a very common joint disorder. The cartilage cushions that exist in between joints and the bones that make the joints are worn out in osteoarthritis. This disease results in abnormal growth of bone as with time, more cartilage begins to ear out and bone on bone wearing takes place.

Pain and Stiffness are the major signs of suffering from osteoarthritis. It gets pretty painful after prolonged sitting and getting up and also in the morning. Change in humidity or rainy weather also increases the pain most of the times. If osteoarthritis prevents you from doing daily activities or activities that you like doing, then it can have a big impact on the quality of your life.

There are many treatments that are available in recent times for osteoarthritis. Chiropractic treatment not only reduces the pain but also treat you so that you get a long term relief from the pain. Medications and anti-inflammatory can give you relief but it is just a temporary relief. You can suffer complications and gastrointestinal problems due to these drugs.

The best and most natural method of treatment for osteoarthritis is chiropractic treatment. It depends on the complexity of the situation and also on the patient. The patient starts to feel good after the treatment and the process does not hurt. The condition of the patient and the complexity of the situation also affect the treatment. Reduction in pain, reduction in stiffness and restoring the normal motion of the joint are some of the results of the manipulation. Ice and heat can also be used to provide relief.

A very important aspect of chiropractic treatment for osteoarthritis is proper and healthy nutrition. Supplements like glucosamine, fish oils, chondrotin sulfate and many more can prove to be very helpful. Avoiding some specific foods can reduce inflammation and hence reduce pain and improve healing. In order to find out what would be the best supplement for you, you should get in touch with your chiropractor as different things suit different situations.

Regular visits to your chiropractor may be able to help you prevent osteoarthritis. Correcting dysfunctional joints allows proper movement and can reduce your risk of the disease. It will also help keep discs stay healthy and prevent other causes of joint pain. If you suffer from osteoarthritis, speak with your chiropractor to learn how they can help you conservatively control your symptoms and prevent the progression of the disease.

In order to prevent osteoarthritis, you should visit your chiropractor regularly. You can easily reduce the risk of this disease by correcting any dysfunctional joints and hence keep the movements normal. This prevents other causes of pain in the joints and helps in keeping the discs healthy. If you have the problem of osteoarthritis, then you should consult your chiropractor so that he or she can help you in treating the problem and reduce the pain.

Home Remedies for Osteoarthritis that Work

Some home remedies for osteoarthritis can work wonders.

A good one will strengthen the immune system, prevent the spread and severity of the disease and provide safe relief from painful inflammation.

Home remedies for osteoarthritis are particularly important since there are serious proven dangerous side effects when taking commercial painkillers like Celebrex, Vioxx, Bextra and Aleve.

When you consider the fact that most prescribed arthritis medications are not proven to be safe and don't strengthen the immune system or offer long-term pain relief, it only makes good sense to take a more holistic approach.

Plus, more and more evidence shows that lifestyle changes, diet and home remedies can both help prevent arthritis and provide relief from the painful symptoms. As a result, more and more people with osteoarthritis are living happier, healthier lives.

Although the cause is still unknown, most experts agree that arthritis is connected to a breakdown of the immune system.

This happens when the immune system is either too weak to prevent viruses from attacking the joints or it has lost the discretionary power to recognize the difference between healthy cells and viruses. Therefore, a faulty immune system destroys both.

If not managed, arthritis can grow progressively worse and cause very limited range of motion and permanent damage. For example, rheumatoid arthritis that starts in one joint can spread throughout the entire body, if it's not prevented.

Therefore, at the first sign of joint stiffness, pain or swelling, it's important to take action towards prevention. It's an even better idea to start before symptoms begin.

You want both safe relief from the pain and inflammation, plus a stronger immune system for controlling the spread of the disease.

The natural home remedy solution for osteoarthritis is basically the same as it is for any arthritis or degenerative disease.

The American Medical Association recommends supplements for everyone, especially people dealing with degenerative diseases like osteoarthritis. So begin improving your immune system with a healthy diet that includes whole food supplements - particularly fish oil.

Moderate exercise combined with a healthy diet can help you reach and maintain your optimum weight. Every extra pound puts additional stress on joints increasing the odds of painful arthritis.

Low impact exercise, such as walking, swimming or yoga, are also good low stress ways to strengthen bones, joints and muscles, improve flexibility and reduce depression, fatigue and stress.

You'll also need to cut back or eliminate red meat, since those who eat more red meat have twice the risk of arthritic pain compared to those who eat red meat no more than once a week.

For further building up of your immune system, replace non-nutritious foods in your diet with more whole grains, colorful fruits and vegetables and cold water omega 3 fish, such as salmon.

The most important of all home remedies for osteoarthritis is pure fish oil supplements. Fish oil is a natural anti-inflammatory pain reliever and has been proven to help protect people from arthritis.

Golf and Arthritis

Good news! If you're an arthritis sufferer, you don't have to give up your golf game! In fact, playing golf can add strength and mobility to your body overall and improve your range of motion.

Research shows that one of the best treatments for osteoarthritis is exercise. It can improve mood and outlook, decrease pain, increase flexibility, improve the heart and blood flow, maintain weight, and promote general physical fitness.

Usually, osteoarthritis (the most common form of arthritis) comes on slowly. Early in the disease, joints may ache after physical work or exercise. Osteoarthritis can occur in any joint. Most often it occurs at the hands, hips, knees, or spine, all those areas used in playing the game of golf.

No worries, though. Golf actually helps increase your range of motion and your balance as well. And the walking, if you can do it, will benefit your health in numerous ways. In short, golf is one of the perfect exercises for someone with osteoarthritis!

Now here's the key - you are probably going to need some special products to make golf a little easier on your joints.

At arthritis.org, the Arthritis Foundation shares some tips for golfers to help you keep enjoying this wonderful sport and suggests some products that might help you.

For instance, it's a good idea to wear wrist braces and gloves when you play. This will help stabilize the joints in your wrists and hands. Both these items are inexpensive.

Try using a lower compression ball.

Golf shoes without spikes will likely be more comfortable for you.

Ask your local golf store specialist about the latest helps for making golfing easier on your joints. New products are coming out all the time.

Always warm up before you play. Do some basic stretches, take some practice swings. Start out swinging about half strength. Never try to hit the ball too hard. This one goes for everyone - not just folks with arthritis. It's accuracy that counts!

Using tees will help.

Drink water while you're playing. (again, a tip for everyone)

If you feel tired, listen to your body and rest a bit. It's not a mortal sin to play less than 18 holes. The key is to enjoy the game.

Now, if you're feeling sore after play, here are some things to try.

· Take a warm shower.

· Do some gentle stretching exercises.

· Use an ice pack on the sore area.

· Rest the sore joint.

· Try magnetic therapy.

· Try to keep your weight down. Too much weight can make your knees and hips hurt

If playing golf causes pain that lasts for more than 1 hour, it's too much. Work with your physical therapist or doctor to adjust your game when you notice any of the following signs of too much exercise:

Unusual or persistent fatigue

Increased weakness

Decreased range of motion

Increased joint swelling

Continuing pain (pain that lasts more than 1 hour after exercising)

Really, when it comes right down to it, playing golf (along with warming up for your game with range of motion exercises) may be just what the doctor orders for arthritis help!

Copyright 2006 Tyler Powers

Osteoarthritis And Rheumatoid Arthritis: Their Deadly Relationship With Intestinal Flora

Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis have a deadly relationship with intestinal flora - often referred to as friendly bacteria. This is the region of the large bowel located near the splenic flexure. Among other activities, the intestinal flora is primarily charged with the responsibility of maintaining the proper pH level for the colon, for the production of certain nutrients and for helping to keep excess acids to a minimum in the body. As essential as the healthy functioning of the intestinal flora may be to good health, rarely do we hear or read about the importance of a healthy intestinal flora in keeping the development and proliferation of rheumatic disease states, such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, to a minimum.

During the early part of the twentieth century a brilliant English surgeon, by the name of Sir Arbuthnot Lane, proved, conclusively, the relationship between a healthy colon and adequate supplies of sodium and potassium being available to the friendly bacteria. He further determined that acidophilus is absolutely critical for the healthy functioning of the intestinal flora. Having operated on more than 2,000 cadavers and hundreds of living patients, Dr. Lane was able to see these relationships clearly. He noted that where mineral salts such as sodium, potassium, magnesium and silicon were deficient, and where acidophilus was not being adequately supplied by diet, the intestinal flora was underactive and often contributed to low-grade infections. This condition invariably led to a highly acidic state where sodium reserves in the body were depleted from the stomach, lymph and joints. This often set the stage for the development of the symptom complex arthritis, in one form or another.

Although the established medical culture of his day frowned upon his findings, Lane's work was studied and championed by John Kellogg, Are Waerland and, in later years, by Drs. John Tilden and Bernard Jensen. Kellogg, Tilden and Jensen were able to prove the relevance of Lane's claims during many years of sanitarium work with patients stricken with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. What I later learned while studying with Jensen in Escondido, California, was that Lane, Kellogg, Tilden and Jensen were right in their assertions. When organic sodium and potassium salts and acidophilus are lacking in the diet, and when body is overloaded with toxic waste material, a severe chemical imbalance will take place in the intestinal flora. Acid wastes cannot be properly neutralized in the colon and, subsequently, throughout the body.

The cells of the body require a copious supply of sodium phosphate to help remove cellular metabolic waste - particularly carbon dioxide. Without this simple sodium compound cellular waste can accumulate to the point where the cells are starved of nutrients, toxic, dysfunctional and inclined to pathological conditions. As this continues unabated, the body will deteriorate and degrade to where it can develop such degenerative health issues as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Understanding the great importance of the proper balance of sodium to potassium throughout the body and the necessity of acidophilus in the diet can aid the body in overcoming and often reversing afflictions such as osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. If you are given to drinking coffee - even decaffeinated - eating chocolate, drinking soda pops, excessive protein consumption, drinking pasteurized milk, eating refined sugar products or denatured wheat products, you will be depleting vitamin and mineral reserves and have a difficult time replenishing and maintaining a healthy intestinal flora.

When you combine proper food intake with a healthy intestinal flora environment you can successfully treat and often reverse osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, bursitis, gout, acid reflux and rheumatism. These are all primarily symptom complexes of the same basic disease - systemic toxemia, which is usually brought on by a tired, undernourished and enervated body unable to keep up with the demands of one's lifestyle and faulty dietary habits.

Traumatic Osteoarthritis

Traumatic osteoarthritis or post-traumatic osteoarthritis as it is better known is mainly caused due to an injury of the joints, followed by a number of physiological and mechanical changes. A patient may develop arthritis in a joint which may have been previously injured. The development of arthritis in that joint though may or may not be related to the injury. The progressive degeneration of the joint after an injury along with the genetic or other natural causes of bone degeneration worsen the condition as the patient grows in age. It is extremely important for the treatment, to know whether or not the condition is a direct consequence of the injury.

There are various factors which can lead to conclude whether or not the patient?s condition is a case of traumatic arthritis. If it is noted that other joints are also suffering from similar symptoms as the traumatized joint then the condition is definitely not one of traumatic osteoarthritis. One must also try to recall whether or not the joint was absolutely normal even before the injury and whether or not any evidence of structural damage was found only within a few days of the injury. Many a times, a closer investigation into the history of the injury also reveals that it was not that bad enough to have caused an internal joint condition like arthritis.

However, if the injury may have caused a dislocation of the bone, a fracture, a torn ligament or anything as serious then it may have led to the present condition of arthritis which can easily be classified as traumatic arthritis. Also, if one realizes that only the previously injured joint is affected then too it is a case of traumatic arthritis. An MRI scan can sufficiently establish the condition.

The disease becomes evident only 2 to 5 years after the injury. However, certain changes which are symptomatic of an osteoarthritic condition maybe visible immediately after the injury.

Osteoarthritis - Three Things You Should Know

It is a predator that knows no boundaries. Young, old, black, white, male and female - this is an equal-opportunity predator that can render its victims immobile.

1. Who is this culprit?

Osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis goes by many names - degenerative joint disease, wear-and-tear-arthritis among them - but the facts remain. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis and affects an estimated 20 million Americans. Unlike other forms of arthritis, which are genetic, osteoarthritis can be linked to a number of causes - weight, age and injury among them. As with other forms of arthritis, there is no known cure for osteoarthritis, so recognizing the signs and symptoms of the disease early can be quite helpful in managing pain.

First, a little background. As its other names imply, osteoarthritis is inflammation caused by abnormal wear of the cartilage cushion in the joints. In a joint affected by osteoarthritis, this wear and tear leads to the degeneration of cartilage and the body is unable to replenish its own supply of this most precious resource. Inflammation causes mild to severe pain and, in some cases, degeneration is so severe that doctors will recommend replacement of the joint.

So what should you know about osteoarthritis? Here are three things to get you started.

2. Listen to your body.

Pain, particularly in the weight-bearing joints of the lower body, is a good indicator of osteoarthritis. Although osteoarthritis can affect any joint, particularly after traumatic injury or infection, most cases of osteoarthritis occur in the weight-bearing joints of the knees, hips, spine and ankles. Often, obesity or even moderately overweight can cause osteoarthritis pain to flare up. Losing a few pounds can help decrease pain, as can rest and judicious use of affected joints. For example, recurring pain in the knees is a good indicator that you might want to stop your rigorous running regimen, if only for a few weeks.

3. Early diagnosis is important for successful long-term pain management.

Although not all cases of osteoarthritis are visible on x-ray, your doctor - particularly if he or she is an internist or rheumatologist - can diagnose osteoarthritis with little problem. Medical history, physical examination and blood tests, along with MRI and x-ray offer reliable avenues for accurate diagnoses.

There is hope for osteoarthritis sufferers.

Osteoarthritis is degenerative - that means that the disease will get worse over time. The most commonly prescribed medications treat the pain by decreasing joint inflammation temporarily. Unfortunately, these medications - known as NSAIDs - also come with a host of dangerous and, in some cases deadly, side effects.

Non-prescription NSAIDs are also available over the counter - in the form of pills, potions and lotions - but the relief is short lived. Like their prescription counterparts, these chemically based medications only treat the symptoms. They mask the pain for a few hours and then the patient must take more. Over time, the body builds up a certain resistance and pain relief decreases.

There is hope, however, in the form of a natural treatment with no side effects. A treatment that treats more than the symptoms - it gets to the root of the problem by replenishing damaged cartilage in the arthritic joint.

Supplementation with all-natural glucosamine and chondroitin, the building blocks of healthy cartilage, has been shown to actually improve the condition of arthritic joints, without dangerous side effects. Pain relief and healing - a powerful combination.

Osteoarthritis in Horses

Osteoarthritis (degenerative joint disease) is a progressive loss of joint cartilage. It represents the last stage of many arthritic conditions in horses. Examples of other arthritic conditions where osteoarthritis is the last phase are traumatic arthritis (which involves the synovial membrane and joint capsule), fractures of the joint, damage to the cartilage caused by trauma, osteochondritis dissecans, cysts beneath the cartilage, and infective arthritis. Lameness is one of the heartbreaking consequences of osteoarthritis in horses.  

There may be varying degrees of excess fluid in the joint, an abnormal thickening and scarring of the membranes, as well as limited/restricted motion in the affected joints. When viewing the involved joints through an x-ray or bone scan a decreased joint space is seen as well as bony outgrowth, inflammation of the muscles or tendons, and a hardening and thickening of the tissue below the cartilage.When osteoarthritis in horses is less severe, a viewing device (endoscope) is used to determine the severity of joint damage.  

The prognosis for osteoarthritis in horses is not particularly rosy with treatment often being limited to reducing joint pain and stiffness. Drug therapy is often used for pain relief. The most widely used pain relief drugs are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications such as ketoprofen, firocoxib, and phenylbutazone. A physical therapist specializing in horses may be helpful in specific cases to improve joint mobility. When osteoarthritis has advanced to a certain point surgery may be performed on the affected joints. Some horses return to athletic soundness after surgical fusion of the pastern or tarsal joints. For very valuable animals, the fetlocks may be surgically fused, making he horse comfortable and capable of breeding.  

In summary, the joints of horses are amazingly durable but over time they simply wear out. While there are a few good options for treating osteoarthritis in horses some horse owners are opting for natural alternatives containing vitamins and minerals. These supplemental treatments work with your horse's body to help rebuild joint cartilage and restore joint health naturally and may be a treatment option worth considering.

Arthritis Treatment: Tibiofemoral Osteoarthritis, Diagnosis and Treatment

The most common presentation of osteoarthritis of the knee (OAK) is involvement of the tibiofemoral joint, the space between the femur (upper leg bone) and the tibia (the larger of the two lower leg bones.)

These are the two surface areas that contain the largest amount of hyaline cartilage inside the knee.

As mentioned earlier, hyaline cartilage is the "harder" of the two type of cartilage within the knee. Hyaline cartilage caps the ends of the long bones inside the joint while fibrocartilage, a softer more pliable cartilage is represented by the medial and lateral menisci of the knee. These are semicircular piece of cartilage that give added protection to the hyaline cartilage when it comes to shock absorption, gliding, and rotation.

Symptoms of OAK typically consist of stiffness, swelling, buildup of joint fluid, and tenderness along the joint line. Over time the ability to bend and straighten the knee will be compromised as well. While one compartment, either the medial (inside) or lateral (outside) compartment of the knee may be affected more than the other, often both compartments are affected. This causes diffuse pain.

The diagnosis can be suspected clinically by history and physical examination. It can be confirmed by positive changes seen on standing knee x-rays. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is much more sensitive to changes of OAK which will consist of cartilage defects, bone edema (swelling), and fluid.

The typical treatment regimen is aimed at pain relief and maintenance of function.

If the patient is overweight, weight loss is a must. Regular exercise consisting of low impact aerobic exercise, resistance exercise, and stretching are components of a common-sense program for a patient with OAK.

Addition of non-steroidal-anti-inflammatory drugs taken either orally or given as a topical agent may also be used.

Removal of excessive joint fluid followed by Injections of glucocorticoids ("cortisone") are helpful for symptomatic relief. Glucocorticoids have a deleterious effect on articular cartilage and should be used sparingly, no more often than three times per year in a given joint.

The patient may also benefit from viscosupplement injections. These are substances consisting of hyaluronic acid which mimics the characteristics of normal joint fluid. These injections can also help provide symptomatic relief.

All injections need to be administered using ultrasound guidance to ensure accuracy.

Surgery is defined as being cartilage sparing or cartilage sacrificing. Cartilage sparing procedures involve osteotomy- removing a wedge of bone in order to line the knee joint straighter. This is used in young active adults to buy time. Cartilage sacrificing procedures refer top joint replacement. The trend recently has been for patients to get these operations done at a younger age. The downside is that these surgeries are associated with a small but real risk of severe complications including infection, blood clots, and death.

An option that is being proven to be an alternative is the use of autologous stem cells, a patient's own stem cells to help sustain and possibly regrow cartilage in an osteoarthritis knee.

(Wei N, et al. Guided Mesenchymal Stem Cell Layering Technique for Treatment of Osteoarthritis of the Knee. J Applied Res. 2011; 11: 44-48)

Osteoarthritis and Inflammation - The Chicken or The Egg?

One of the primary differences between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis has to do with inflammation. Although inflammation is generally thought of as a negative or undesirable condition, it is actually one of the body's many responses to a metabolic crisis usually bought on by the presence of one microbial pathogen or another. The heat that is often generated by inflammation - as in the case of fever - is actually the body's way of attempting to literally cook the intruder to death in combination with increased activity of your white blood cells and various chemicals. In a healthy metabolism this is obviously meant to be a short lived process where the intruder is effectively dealt with and the system can return to balance. Without this mechanism the body would be unable to prevent infection and heal wounds.

There is another form of inflammation that can exist in the body without the local heat, redness and swelling. This is inflammation that exists in a more general sense - a sort of ongoing low grade type of chronic inflammation that is a result of the metabolism falling out of balance. This is the type of inflammation which leads to what have become known as auto-immune diseases like asthma, diabetes, heart disease, colitis, Crohn's disease and arthritis to name just a few. In a sense this type of inflammation leads to a biological situation of the body attacking itself and damaging tissues.

As with most health problems, one can trace this imbalance back to dietary input and the metabolic environment created by the foods we eat. Our biological predisposition is uniquely adapted to run on certain key macro and micro nutrients which we obtained from our traditional environment. If these necessary food items are not available to the metabolism, it's not too much of a stretch to suspect that this might cause a problem. It would also follow from this line of reasoning that if there is an over abundance of low nutrient or harmful foods in the diet that there could also be problems. To make matters even more complicated, there is the contemporary issue of exposure to an ever-growing list of negative environmental factors. In short, the environment from which we now feed has in a fraction of evolutionary time become anything but traditional. I'll explore in more detail the actual causal components of our modern diets that lead to this and other conditions in future articles, but for now let's keep the discussion to the outcome of such a diet, which is inflammation.

With regards to rheumatoid arthritis a couple of factors come into play. First, there is the acidic and low oxygen environment that develops through an improper diet. This allows for an increased presence of microbial fauna in the form of anaerobic bacterias, yeasts, moulds, and ultimately fungus in the worst cases. Some of these pathogens like to colonize particular parts of the body. In the case of rheumatoid arthritis this obviously occurs in the joints causing in turn the localized inflammation and discomfort. The protocols to treat rheumatoid arthritis are most effective with a two pronged approach involving alkalization of the metabolism through dietary modification - which reduces the chronic inflammation - in conjunction with the use of natural anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal agents to go after the particular colony of pathogens residing in the joints.

Osteoarthritis is a somewhat different creature and is generally accepted to be a condition brought on by excessive wear and tear or simply by age. Although metabolic inflammation does come into play, the discomfort caused by osteoarthritis is not a result of pathogens colonizing your joints. Any localized inflammation which does occur is usually later in the development of the symptoms and is more a result of sufficient cartilage being eroded to the point that bone starts coming into contact with bone. This is often accompanied by the formation of bone spurs which contribute to the irritation of local tissues, leading to increased discomfort and ultimately inflammation.

The medical mainstream consensus view is that this is a mechanical issue and the only viable treatment is replacement of the affected joint or joints. This of course stems from the consensus refusal to recognize and take advantage of the body's inherent abilities for regeneration of tissues when it's provided with the necessary raw materials.

History is not exactly full of people complaining of aching joints and the statistical occurrence of osteoarthritis has been increasing steadily; like many diseases in lock step with the industrialization of our food supply and the increased presence of environmental toxins. If nothing else, this infers a dietary deficiency coupled with toxic exposures that place us outside of our evolved patterns of metabolism. This in turn leads to impaired tissue regeneration (insufficient raw materials) and over-burdening of toxicity (lack of minerals to clear waste). It is this scenario which I believe has led to this condition of chronic inflammation, which appears to have become a cultural commonality.

There are many dietary myths and factors that pervade the mainstream consensus, making it difficult for a lay person to make informed decisions about the correct diet for ultimate health. Despite newer research pointing to flaws in current modalities, the corporate interests profiting from the infrastructures built around these myths continue to protect these interests through 'paid for science' and obfuscation of the facts. The low fat myth and the high carbohydrate diet coupled with a misrepresentation of the relationship between LDL, HDL and total cholesterol, are just three factors that contribute to the systemic problem of low grade chronic inflammation.

As I've stated before, osteoarthritis can be viewed as a canary in a coal mine. Relative to the pantheon of different severe diseases/symptoms that can be brought on by ongoing inflammation, the discomfort caused by osteoarthritis could be considered minor, though annoying. Tissue regeneration is a metabolic process that goes on throughout the life experience and in this regard the cartilage between your bones is no different. If headway with symptoms is to be made there is no doubt that your metabolic environment needs to be adjusted through dietary modifications. One of the many biological systems that become affected by chronic inflammation is the endocrine system. Within the myriad of enzymes both manufactured and absorbed by the body are those that modify the proteins to create the various proteoglycans responsible for cartilage maintenance. This is just one of the many biological sub-systems that are affected by improper diet and the resulting chronic inflammation.

So when it comes to osteoarthritis, is inflammation the chicken or the egg? The answer appears to be both.

Rheumatoid or Osteo-Arthritis Misery, Which Is Worse?

46-million people have "arthritis", a term that encompasses some 100 conditions and afflictions - including fibromyalgia, Lyme disease, gout, and my sub-category if you will, Lupus (SLE). Today we're talking about two of the most common and potentially miserable, Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Osteoarthritis (OA). Which one is worse?

Well, first off, it's a trick question, isn't it? It is absurd to even entertain the premise that one is worse than the other - ask anyone who suffers from either of them. They both have the potential to be devastating, and to being linked with heart disease and diabetes. Perhaps a better question would be: What is the difference between the two?

Rheumatoid Arthritis is a condition which afflicts more than 1-million Americans. In RA the body's own immune system attacks the membrane that lines the joints, eventually causing the destruction of the joint unless stopped. In addition to pain, swelling and inflammation are well-known hallmarks of RA.

Osteoarthritis is far more prevalent, affecting 27-million Americans. With OA it is the joint's cartilage that is broken down. When this happens, that tough "shock absorber" is damaged and wears away; bone can come in contact with bone, resulting in the stiffness and pain so notorious with OA.

We're going to briefly touch on a couple of things I would really like to bring to your attention:

• It is not uncommon for a person to have heart disease and/or diabetes in addition to arthritis.

• 25 percent of people with both heart disease and arthritis do not exercise regularly or choose to have an active lifestyle.

• Arthritis is currently the number one cause of disability for a woman, and number two for a man.

• Losing weight to help with diabetes management or with heart-health can also help with managing arthritis.

• There is a connection between gum disease and arthritis.

• The same omega-3 fatty acids that are found in salmon, for example, and connected with being good to your heart, can also help the inflammation caused by arthritis.

Though one is neither better nor worse than the other, there are things that both can benefit from:

• Become an active partner with your doctor in managing your health.

• Pain, swelling, stiffness, redness, fatigue - these are messages from your body. Pay attention.

• Educate yourself. There are so many wonderful organizations and foundations dedicated to your health and promoting education about arthritis in all its forms. Don't know where to start? Ask your doctor, do an internet search - just enter the type of arthritis you want to investigate, hit enter, and prepare to be provided with many, many places to start reading.

• Do eat heart-healthy; it will help with your arthritis, too. This includes the things I'm sure that you already associate with being good to yourself like limiting your sodium intake, eating a diet that is varied and includes colorful fruits and vegetables, lean meats, choosing vegetable oils over trans fats, etc. If you're stuck, ask your doctor, check out the library or bookstore, or again, use the internet.

• Don't get stuck on the term 'diet' - just be good to yourself in your choices, embrace being kind to yourself by what you choose to put into your body. Remember, if you lose unnecessary weight, not only will your heart benefit, but so will your joints. And so, by the way, will a body affected by diabetes.

Well, we've touched upon some important information here. Please do follow-up by getting active in your own treatment and educating yourself - what you do and don't do can have a dramatic effect on your comfort and the pace at which your arthritis progresses. Next time we'll continue our series of articles on arthritis, Is Arthritis Hereditary?

© 2010 Kathryn Jensen

Reader is granted permission to download, copy, distribute

Arthritis Types - Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid And Gout

Arthritis is the inflammation of the joint in your body. Mostly, old people suffer from arthritis due to the nature of wear and tear of the joints. There are actually more than 100 types of arthritis known and diagnosed in the world. But this article will cover the 3 major ones that are suffered by most people.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis happens when your cartilage breaks down faster than your body can repair it. Cartilage is the "cushioning" that exists in your joints to absorb stress to the joints. When the cartilage wears down, your bones' ends can rub each other. This experience is very painful when it happens. When bone and bone collides, osteoarthritis happens.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)

RA is a result of autoimmune disorder. What is an autoimmune disorder? It is the consequence of the body destroying its own cells instead of protecting it. In this case, it causes chronic inflammation in which your own immune system attacks your own joints. When the inflammation happens, you feel very painful when you try to move your joints.

Gout arthritis

Gout is also known as metabolic arthritis. It is caused by the chemical uric acid, a byproduct of protein breakdown. What happens is the uric acid gets deposited into the articular cartilage of joints and the surrounding tissues. It is common to see the big toe getting affected by gout, making the person who has it very difficult to walk. It can also affect other joints like the ankle, heel, knee, wrist, elbow, fingers and backbone.

Crunching Sound in Knees - Osteoarthritis - What Can Be Done About It?

Do you suffer from crunching knees?

Even as a child you will be used to hearing the sound of knees crunching when the class knelt down at school but that probably didn't concern you at the time.

Fifteen years on if it was your knees that were crunching back then, then they may be giving you cause for concern as that sound maybe getting a little sickening to hear.

It may even be getting in the way of everyday life where you find yourself walking up stairs a funny way so to avoid any embarrassing looks.

Knee Crunching Cause

The cause is in the cartilage. That gooey liquid which helps keep the joints nice and lubricated much like oil on a chain.

When it starts to dry out the joint becomes inflamed hence the grinding sound and this is normally the sign of that osteoarthritis is kicking in.

The cause can range from a bad diet through the years, to obesity or it runs in the family, but it's more influenced by your lifestyle as a youngster.

One drawback to exercise which involves using the legs through hard impact sports on the joints like running, football, tennis etc, is that the knees may come to pay the price in the future.

Crunching Knee Treatment

NSAID's will help keep the inflammation of the joint down and reduce that crunching sound.

Even when they're not swollen, doctors suggest you take some form of prescription each day so it stays in your blood stream, so when inflammation occurs, you won't need to get your body accustomed to the NSAID again - meaning it will act straight away.

Ibuprofen is popular for people with this grinding knee condition, but these are only short term pain relief supplements and in no way help the disease go into remission.

In fact NSAID's simply cover up the real problem which is that the disease is still slowly eating away at the depleting knee cartilage, so if you want to treat the cause you need to take more control.

Arthroscopic surgery used to clean out the knee joint and smooth the cartilage was often thought of as a way of slowing down the disease, but this has now been proved false - it simply lessens the pain.

How to Treat a Crunching Knee

1. Take magnesium supplements: These have been proven far more effective than calcium supplements and have been medically proven through a 9 month clinical trial carried out in the U.S by the Journal Medicine in 2009, to improve bone density by some 11%.

2. Do low impact sports: These help rebuild the muscle tissue around the knee while improving functionality to the joint. The pain will subside and your legs will be stronger and more capable of supporting your upper body with more assurance.

Osteoarthritis - Medical Research - A "Laymans" Point Of View

Someone very close to me suffers from Osteoarthritis.

What is arthritis. Simply put, arthritis is inflammation (redness, swelling, pain or heat) within one or more of the joints.

I was thinking about the condition and wanted to express myself from a "laymans" point of view. I won't attempt to get into the professional, medical or academic details of this condition. The more research that I did the more I found medical terms that are presented without consideration of regular folks. So my submission here is not meant to be an academic presentation in the least.

What I have been able to gather from research is that there are about 100 different kinds of arthritis that could be grouped into 5 major categories. They are (1) Osteoarthritis, (2) Rheumatoid arthritis, (3) Lupus, (4) Gout (5) a general category of "other".

Whats is the best treatment for arthritis? What is the worst form of the disease? Can arthritis be prevented and if so how? Does exercise help? Is there a recommended diet that would help? Good questions all. I am not qualified to answer these questions. What I can do is share my personal experience in dealing with health issues.

I think I am like most people in that I don't give much attention to the definitions, causes, or remedies for serious health problems or issues until they effect me personally. I think this is normal. So what do you do when you or someone you love dearly is confronted with a serious health situation. You do as much research as you possibly can. If you are not up to deciphering all of the medical terms, get someone to help. Doctors have come a long way in seeing the need to not talk "over the heads" of their patients, but when reading medical literature there seems to be the need on the part of the writer to sound as educated as possible and therefore use as much professional terminology as possible. As professional and precise as these terms may be they are obscure to regular folk like me. It's almost like code that does indeed need to be deciphered.

Get someone knowledgeable and able to, in effect, "translate" what's on the "printed" page.

No need for me to make a long list of websites as to where information can be found. The Internet is the biggest and most efficient library known to humans up to this point and things are indexed (listed in some logical order).

Let me list just 2 sites where you can start. You can use a search engine to locate the websites of theses organizations.

Wikipedia

WebMD

As you use your search-engine you'll find thousands of sites with good information and perhaps thousands with information that's not very useful. The key is to be able to filter the information, use it as a guide in making your decisions and not be sidetracked by sales pitches, outlandish claims, or miracle cures.

Osteoarthritis is painful and serious enough to require some in-depth research before making a final decision on what's the best and most beneficial medical care for you.

How to Treat Degenerative Disc Disease

Degenerative disc disease from osteoarthritis of the back can cause you extreme pain and suffering. There are a few ways whereby you can treat degenerative disc disease. Understanding what degenerative disc disease is, and what you can do, are important steps towards a better quality of life.

The chance of getting degenerative disk disease increases with age. Degenerative disc disease refers to a group of painful back conditions. Other types of diseases that can cause it are spinal stenosis and ankylosing spondylitis. It is usually caused by osteoarthritis of the spine, and it can be quite painful. If you have osteoarthritis of the spine, your pain comes from the vertebra becoming inflamed and irritated because of the compression of the disk. As your spine works to heal itself, small calcium stones are created on the spinal column. You will then experience painful attacks and a lack of mobility of the spinal will occur.

There are several treatment options if you have osteoarthritis of the spine. A popular OTC medication is paracetamol for pain. Codeine can be used in conjunction with paracetamol for added pain relief too. There are other prescription medications that are anti-inflammatory, which reduce pain. Steroids such as prednisone are one, but they cannot be taken on a long-term basis, especially for people with high blood pressure and heart disease. Side effects include bleeding ulcers and severe indigestion.

Steroids can also be taken as injections directly into the back for pain relief from osteoarthritis. A newer treatment in the injection form is using hyaluronic acid. Some medical studies have shown that it may push the body to make other cells that form cartilage in the back. Other studies on hyaluronic injection treatments theorize that it may help with lubrication between the spinal pads of the back. Only your doctor is qualified to tell you if they feel that using hyaluronic treatment may be beneficial for your pain management from osteoarthritis in your back.

It is thought that because osteoarthritis inhibits blood flow to the cartilage and muscles, taking glucosamine and chondroitin helps increase blood flow and maintain a healthier cartilage. These are food supplements that can be bought directly from over the counter. Other types of natural holistic treatments are taking avocado and soybeans, in either a pill form, or adding this to your diet in elevated concentrations. A few medical studies have shown that people who did add this to their diet experienced less pain, and not quite as much dependence on painkillers. Talk with your doctor if you feel that it may help with your painful osteoarthritis episodes.

Exercise is another good way to control pain and help with movement. Also, make sure that you control your weight too. Excess weight causes pressure on the back, and increases pain in the back.

Non-traditional therapies for degenerative disc disease caused by osteoarthritis are acupuncture and deep body massages. Acupuncture is believed to inhibit the body's pain receptors in the brain, and it thereby makes it easier for you to cope with the pain. Deep body messages relax tense muscles, and it can stress from pain. Many people have found relief from pain by using these two techniques for pain management by either using them independently, or in conjunction with each other. It is also thought that with acupuncture and deep body messages that pain fighting hormones are released into the body to dull the sensation of pain.

An excellent home remedy is to use a heat on the painful area. You may find that a moist heat is the best, but always use safety when applying heat from a heating pad for your back. Do not leave the heat on it for more than 30 minutes, and let your skin cool down. You do not want blisters. You can reapply heat as needed throughout the day, but make sure to rest between cool downs. If you don't muscle spasms can occur, and it will delay your healing time. If you can take aspirin for your pain because it is an anti-inflammatory, but remember it's also a blood thinner, and aspirin will raise blood pressure.

It can be depressing to be inflicted with degenerative disc disease. The best that you can do is try out a combination of methods to help you relieve yourself from pain. Hopefully one day there will be an effective and safe cure for your back.

5 Early Signs Of Osteoarthritis - And What You Can Do About Them

Live long enough and chances are you'll suffer from some form of Osteoarthritis (OA), which is when degenerative joint pain is caused by wear and tear on your joints. As we age, the cartilage that cushions joints begins to wear down. This causes the bones to rub together and leads to inflammation of the joints. That equals pain.

OA affects the joints in the arms and legs most, but can also include fingers, wrists, knees, ankles and hips. The lower back is also a common culprit of OA pain and discomfort.

What are the early warning signs of OA? Here are 5 of them.

1. General aches and pains. The pain of early arthritis can be classified in pain and tenderness. There might also be a sharper pain when moving your affected joint in a certain way, such as when opening a jar with arthritic fingers. The discomfort you feel when pressing down on the joint is tenderness. It can include visible swelling in the area of the joint.

2. Joint Stiffness. Following right behind joint stiffness is joint pain. Stiffness is normal doctors say, when you first wake up and step out of bed or have been sitting at your desk for hours at a time. It's also a sign of early OA. Feeling sluggish and having that "wooden" feeling is another. People with arthritis often start to feel better once they have warmed up their joints through some gentle exercise or even just going about their daily chores.

3. Those who feel abnormal sensations also fall into this category. Cartilage is meant to be a shock absorber that helps joints move smoothly. Once that cartilage wears down, the bones rub against bones and that's where the abnormal sensations arise. You might also feel - or hear - your joints clicking or cracking when you move.

4. Flexibility loss. If you are in the early stages of arthritis you may notice that moving the affected areas is not as easy anymore. Joint stiffness and pain has a lot to do with loss of flexibility. This is also called a loss of range of motion. The extent to which you can move your joints in their normal patterns are how you explain you range of motion. Bending or extending your knee is the range of motion. Arthritis sufferers might not be able to bend their knee as far.

5. If timing becomes an issue, it might be OA. Pain, tenderness and joint stiffness tend to be limited to very specific times, at least in the early stages. For instance, after sitting at a sporting event, your hip might hurt. Or the back is stiff the next day. As arthritis progresses, you might have achy joints even when you're at rest.

What can you do about it? Healthcare providers advise exercise, reducing the strain on your joints, watching your weight, physical therapy, and medication.

Arthritis - Treating Mild Osteoarthritis Pain

Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease or osteoarthrosis, is the most common form of arthritis. It occurs when cartilage in your joints wears down over time. Osteoarthritis can affect any joint in your body, although it is most commonly affects the hands, hips, knees and spine. It typically affects just one joint, though in some cases several joints can be affected, such as with finger arthritis.

There is no cure for osteoarthritis and it gradually worsens with time, but treatments can relieve pain and help you remain active. Actively managing your osteoarthritis may help you gain control over your osteoarthritis pain.

For mild osteoarthritis pain that is bothersome, but not enough to have a great impact on your daily activities, your doctor may recommend the following:

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  Rest. If you are experiencing pain or inflammation in your joint, rest it for 12 to 24 hours. Find activities that don't require you to use your joint repetitively. Take a 10-minute break every hour.
  
  


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  Exercise. With your doctor's approval, exercise regularly when you feel up to it. Stick to gentle exercises, such as walking, biking or swimming. Exercise can increase your endurance and strengthen the muscles around your joint, making your joint more stable. Avoid exercising tender, injured or swollen joints. Stop if you feel new joint pain. New pain that lasts more than two hours after you exercise probably means you have overdone it.
  
  


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  Weight loss. Being overweight or obese increases the stress on your weight-bearing joints, such as on your knees and your hips. Even a small amount of weight loss can relieve some pressure and reduce your pain. Talk to your doctor about healthy ways to lose weight. Most people combine changes in their diet with increased exercise.
  
  


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  Heat and cold. Both heat and cold can relieve pain in your joint. Heat relieves stiffness and cold relieves muscle spasms. Use a heating pad, hot water bottle, or a warm bath. Heat should be warm, not hot. Apply heat for 20 minutes several times a day. Cool the pain in your joint with cold treatments, such as with ice packs. You can use cold treatments several times a day, but don't use cold treatments if you have poor circulation or numbness.
  
  


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  Physical therapy. Ask your doctor for a referral to a physical therapist. A physical therapist can work with you to create an individualized exercise plan that will strengthen the muscles around your joint, increase your range of motion in your joint and reduce your pain.
  
  


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  Occupational therapy. Find ways to manage daily tasks without stressing your joints. Speak with an occupational therapist for help managing tasks or work without putting extra stress on your already painful joint.
  
  


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  Pain creams. Over-the-counter pain creams and gels available at the drugstore may provide temporary relief from osteoarthritis pain. Some creams numb the pain by creating a hot or cool sensation. Other creams contain medications, such as aspirin-like compounds, that are absorbed into your skin. Read the label so you know what you are using. Pain creams work best on joints that are close the surface of your skin, such as your knees and fingers.
  
  


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  Braces or shoe inserts. Consider trying special splints, braces, shoe inserts or other medical devices that can help reduce your pain and immobilize or support your joint to help you keep pressure off it.
  
  


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  Chronic pain class. Ask your doctor about classes in your area, or check with the Arthritis Foundation, to find classes that help people with osteoarthritis or chronic pain. These classes teach skills to help manage your osteoarthritis pain. You'll meet other people with osteoarthritis and learn their tips for reducing joint pain or coping with your pain.

How Does Cold Laser Work For Arthritis?

Arthritis affects almost 70 million Americans. The most common forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis, a degenerative disease in which the cartilage wears away, and rheumatoid arthritis, which is an autoimmune inflammatory condition. Also, there are other conditions that fall under the "umbrella" of arthritis including bursitis, tendonitis, low back and neck pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and so on.

The common symptom of most forms of arthritis is pain. Pain develops as a result of multiple factors including inflammation with stimulation of neural peripheral pain sensors due to either biochemical factors such as cytokines or to mechanical factors- joint deformity. Arthritis pain may be accompanied byother problems including loss of range of motion and disability.

While medicines, injections, and surgery all have their place and are valuable, there is still a need for potentially useful adjunctive modalities that might speed up recovery and reduce pain faster.

Low level therapeutic laser, better known as phototherapy, is a relatively new form of treatment. Its premise is that certain wavelengths of light have effects on living tissue. This effect is termed "photobiomodulation."

Phototherapy has been shown in experimental settings to stimulate cell growth, increase cell metabolism, improve cell regeneration, induce an anti-inflammatory response, reduce edema, reduce fibrous tissue formation, reduce levels of substance P, stimulate production of nitric oxide, decrease the formation of bradykinin, histamine, and acetylcholine, and stimulate the production of endorphins. These effects are felt to be what reduce pain.

Most cold lasers in use today use a combination of light emitting diodes and infrared emitting diodes.

The beneficial effects of cold laser were first noted in wound healing in rats (Mester E, Spy T, Sander N, Tito J. Effect of laser ray on wound healing. Am J Surg 1971; 122: 523-535).

Subequently, laser was found to be beneficial in a number of animal models and is till being studied as a possible tool for cartilage regeneration and healing (Lin Y, Chai CY, Yang RC. Effects of helium-neon laser on levels of stress protein and arthritic histopathology in experimental osteoarthritis. Am J Phys Med Rehab. 2004; 83: 758-765).

Data regarding the usefulness of cold laser on different conditions seen in a rheumatology office include:

Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis (Brosseau L, Welch V, Wells G, Tugwell P, de Bie R, Harman K, Shea B, Morin M. Low level laser therapy for osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis: a meta-analysis. J Rheum. 2000; 27: 1961-9);

Elbow tendonitis (Simunovic Z, Trobonjaca T, Trobonjaca Z. Treatment of medial and lateral epicondylitis- tennis and golfer's elbow- with low level laser therapy: a multicenter double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study on 324 patients. J Clin Laser Medicine Surg. 1998; 16: 145-51);

Fibromyalgia trigger points (Simunovic Z. Low level laser therapy with trigger points technique: a clinical study on 243 patients. J Clin Laser Medicine Surg. 1996; 14: 163-167);

Neck arthritis (Ozdemir F, Birtane M, Kokino S. The clinical efficacy of low-power laser therapy on pain and function in cervical osteoarthritis. Clin Rheumatology. 2001; 20: 181-184);

Carpal tunnel syndrome (Naeser MA, Hahn KA, Lieberman BE, Branco KF. Carpal tunnel syndrome pain treated with low-level laser and micro amperes transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation: a controlled study. Archives Phys Med Rehab. 2002; 83: 978-988);

Shoulder tendonitis (England S, Ferrell AJ, Coppock JS, Struthers G, Bacon PA. Low power laser therapy of shoulder tendonitis. Scand J Rheum. 1989; 18: 427-431);

Low back pain disorders (Tasaki E, et al. Application of low power laser therapy for relief of low back pain. Ninth Congress of the International Society of Laser Surgery and Medicine. Anaheim, CA. USA. November 2-6, 1991; Tuner J, Hode L. The Laser Therapy handbook. Prima Books. 2004. Sweden, p. 81).

Adequate clinical assessment is vital to determining whether a patient is a good candidate for laser therapy. Also, laser is a complementary therapy; it should be used in conjunction with other therapies as well. Concurrent medications, etc. should not be forgotten.

Phototherapy is FDA approved for a number of applications and has been deemed safe. It also requires relatively little time to perform. Established protocols and tissue dosages have been established that make clinical application relatively easy.

The number of sessions required varies according to disorder, length of time the disorder has been present, and the severity of the disorder.

Contraindications include pregnancy (use of the laser over the pregnant uterus), thyroid exposure, over a pediatric epiphysis, transplant patients, directly on a an active cancer, on an are where there has been a recent (within 24 hours) steroid injection, or on the chest of a patient with a pacemaker.

While cold laser is considered by some to be unproven, it appears so far to be a safe, effective mode of therapy for many rheumatologic disorders and is worth trying before subjecting a patient to more invasive and dangerous procedures.

7 Major Differences Between Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Arthritis is a very painful condition that affects millions and millions of Americans every year. There are many different types of arthritis including psoriatic arthritis, gout, septic arthritis, scleroderma, osteoarthritis, gonococcal arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Arthritis of all types is a condition that affects the body's joints. A joint is defined as the location where two bones in the body come together. People suffering from arthritis experience joint inflammation that may occur in one bodily joint or many joints.

Two types of arthritis that are commonly discussed include osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. You may be wondering what some of the major differences are between these two conditions. Here are seven major differences between osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

1. Osteoarthritis is more common than Rheumatoid Arthritis. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), OA affects around 27 million American adults 25 years and older. The Arthritis Foundation reports that RA affects about 1.5 million people in the United States.


2. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition caused by the wearing of bodily joints over time. RA is an autoimmune disease that occurs when a person's immune system attacks the body's joints.


3. Typically people experience OA when they get older. RA can strike a person at any point in life. When it occurs in children, it is sometimes called juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.


4. RA can occur quite quickly whereas OA tends to have a more gradual progression over the course of many years.


5. RA tends to strike in a more symmetrical manner where a person might experience inflammation and pain in both hands or both feet. In contrast, OA can easily affect only one joint in the body.


6. Both types of arthritis cause a sense of stiffness in the morning. While the morning stiffness may lessen as the day goes on for those with OA, people with RA are more likely to experience this stiffness for a longer period of time during and throughout the day.


7. Rheumatoid arthritis is often accompanied with other symptoms which include overall tiredness and malaise, whereas the discomfort associated with osteoarthritis is specific to the joint that is affected.

Arthritis of any type is painful and challenging. Treatment most typically aims to help reduce discomfort, aid physical functioning and if possible, to prevent additional damage to bodily joints.

A thorough physical examination by a trained health care professional like a board certified orthopedic physician is advisable if you think you might be suffering from any type of arthritis including osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.