All about Arthritis

All about arthritis

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Over time, many people start to feel pain and stiffness in the body. Sometimes they hurt in their hands, knees or shoulders and they find it hard to move, as their joints may become swollen. These people may have "arthritis."

Arthritis can be caused by inflammation of the tissue lining the joints. Signs of inflammation include redness, heat, pain and swelling. These problems indicate that something is wrong. Joints are where two bones meet, such as the elbow or knee, and with the passage of time, in some types of arthritis, (but not all) these joints can be severely affected.

The term "arthritis" includes all rheumatic diseases in which the process triggers inflammation. If the intensity of inflammation is high and continuous we can find other general alterations to the condition such as fever, tiredness, loss of appetite and weight loss.

If arthritis affects a single joint we talk about monoarthritis.. If the suffering is found in less than four we are facing an oligarthritis and if there are more affected joints we designate it as polyarthritis. In any case the process may be migratory or additive, acute, chronic or intermittent. There are multiple causes that can cause the presence of arthritis for someone, and some of these causes are as follows:-
 A) Some infections such as bacteria and viruses.  These are usually rarer than agents such as fungi or parasites.
 B) Crystals deposited in organs and mainly in joints.
 C) Genetic disorders
 D) autoimmune diseases
 E) other unusual groups of cases of arthritis that occur in relation to cancer or diseases of the endocrine glands (thyroid).

Many people confuse the difference between arthritis and arthrosis. The first is chronic inflammation of multiple joints, large or small, while osteoarthritis is the wearing of the cartilage of one or more joints. Inflammatory joint pain usually takes up the day to day life of the patient, and although it gets worse with exercise and activity, pain can also be there when resting and even peak in intensity at night. Discomfort may be accompanied by fever, tiredness and fatigue. All these symptoms are not observed in arthrosis.

Atrophy in the muscles around the inflamed joint, especially on hands and knees, is also very characteristic in the early appearance of arthritis. Arthrosis, except in the joints of the knuckles and knees, doesn't usually alter the axis of the joint. Rheumatoid arthritis commonly causes deviations and deformations in the joints. Arthrosis may not show symptoms at the start and be detected by radiographic study. These symptoms always correspond to the affected joint. The beginning of arthritis is insidious and instead presents both articular and extra articular symptoms (subcutaneous nodules, anemia and eye, pulmonary, renal or cardiac disorders ). Pain in the large and small joints of the body is the most common symptoms in rheumatoid arthritis. The most frequently injured joints are the wrists, knuckles, finger joints, the elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles and toes. Inflammation though maintained and controlled, can end up damaging the bones, ligaments and tendons that are around the area, which can lead to progressive deformity of the joints and loss of ability to do some tasks of daily living.

Arthritis Stair Climbing - Are Stairs Good for Arthritis?

For the arthritis sufferer everyday tasks like climbing up and down stairs can be painful and difficult.  It is for this reason that a stairlift is often installed to make a difficult and possibly dangerous climb up a staircase into an easy automated glide to the top instead.
According to the American Arthritis Society in their practical tips series:-

Every stair step puts strain on the knee. If you can use an elevator instead of taking the stairs, always take the elevator, even if you travel just one floor or if it means waiting a few minutes. With osteoarthritis of the knee, avoid stairs whenever possible.

 The main symptoms of arthritis are:
 · In hands it typically involves the small joints of the fingers and swelling of the wrists. Over time and in the absence of adequate treatment, the wrist joint loses mobility. Over the years deformities can occur, especially in more serious cases, such as deviation of the fingers. In some patients this can cause tendon ruptures, causing difficulty to extend or straighten the little finger and sometimes the middle and ring finger.
 · In the elbows: they are frequently affected in rheumatoid arthritis, causing deep pain in bending and straightening it. · On the shoulders: patients often complain of shoulder pain and limitation for activities of daily living such as dressing, washing the back and raising the arms to reach objects.
 · In the hips: it appears in severe forms of the disease, with pain in the groin, leading to difficulty in walking, rising from a chair and of course, up and down stairs.
 · The knees are affected most often and sometimes is the only manifestation of the start of the disease. Chronic inflammation may lead to difficulty in stretching entirely and muscle atrophy of the thigh. There may be a limp or difficulty in walking.
 · Joints of the foot: patients often suffer this pain in that area, and the feeling of stones or crystals, especially in the morning, sometimes even going limp and feeling uncomfortable wearing their shoes. The toes may be deformed in the long run, for example causing a bunion and in advanced stages the deformation of the heel and flat part of the foot may be the outcome.
 · Joints of the cervical spine: the most common symptoms of this dislocation is neck pain just in the back of the head. This pain often affects some patients more so in the morning, improving as the day progresses. This pain can be accompanied by leg weakness and urinary problems which suggests that the luxation may be severe.
 · Signs outside the joints: although the fundamental location of lesions caused by rheumatoid arthritis is in the synovial membrane of joints, sometimes it can alter other structures. Extra-articular manifestations are due to rheumatoid arthritis but affect different parts of the body than the joints.
The stairlifts are suitable for the elderly, since they are more likely to suffer from arthritis and other conditions that alter their movement. There are many diseases that make it difficult for the elderly to use the stairs, thus, an elder would greatly benefit from a stairlift. The elimination of the physical struggles with conventional stairs by using a stairlift can change the life of an elderly person. Castle Comfort Stairlifts offers top brands, competitive prices and fast installs for those seeking help with problems of mobility. We adapt to any particular case. Call us now and ask us for advice on 0800 007 6959 as we will be happy to provide our help.  
Click here to find new and reconditioned stairlifts in your area or call the local number below for the office nearest to you.

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Castle Comfort Stairlifts offers top brand stairlifts, keen prices and fast installs for all those seeking stairlifts. And all work comes with our no-quibble guarantees and famous customer service satisfaction.
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