Getting a Grip on Arthritis

Arthritis – and the way it can affect your health and quality of life – can be a difficult thing to come to grips with. Arthritis isn't so much a specific disease as it is a condition that can arise as a result of over 100 different illnesses. Generally, arthritis involves degeneration or inflammation of the joints. However, it can also include swelling, deformity, and – eventually – disability. Some forms of arthritis can even damage seemingly unlikely organs like the heart, eyes, urinary tract, and skin.

Arthritis affects over 46 million Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC also estimates that more than one-fifth of our adult population has some form of arthritic condition. Again, arthritis can come in many different forms, and – although they are all related – its not always easy to recognize arthritis in all of its different guises. The diseases gout and pseudogout are forms of arthritis in which crystals form in the joints.

Psoriatic arthritis is a condition that only affects those who already have the skin disease psoriasis, and ankylosing spondylitis is a form of arthritis that is focused specifically in the spine. Despite its more exotic incarnations, most Americans with arthritis suffer from one of two types: rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and osteoarthritis (OA).

Rheumatiod arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the body's own defenses are turned against healthy tissues. RA can be a debilitating disease, characterized by a painful swelling of the joints that can be quite severe. Arthritis can impact the lives of people of all ages, and the most common form of arthritis in children is juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

Arthritis is so common that many of the aches and pains we simply accept as “part of getting older,” are symptoms of osteoarthritis. The bad knees and hips many of us have experienced are – generally - the result of the degeneration of cartilage on these load-bearing joints, caused by osteoarthritis. What options do we have when faced with such a variable, widespread condition?

First, it is important to determine whether or not you are in fact suffering from one of the many forms of arthritis. The diagnosis of the condition can involve a physical exam, evaluation of medical history, x-ray tests, ultrasound, and perhaps even blood and urine tests. Once it is determined that you actually do have one of the forms of arthritis , it is important to understand that there is no cure for the disease. However, there are a number of treatment options that can help you minimize the disease's painful symptoms, and maximize your quality of life.

Treatment of arthritis can take on a variety of forms in order to address the three key issues for any patient with the disease: alleviating pain, preventing degeneration, and maintaining and improving joint mobility. Treatment can include: exercise, physical therapy, occupational therapy and medications. In the most severe of cases, surgery may be required in order to remove growths, or replace an entire joint. The replacement of an entire joint in known as arthroplasty. Arthroplasty of knee joints has become a very common and effective procedure for patients with severe degeneration of cartilage in their joints. In addition to these various forms of treatments, there are now a number of lifestyle products that are custom-designed for people of all ages who's lives have been affected by arthritis.

One of the most difficult aspects of dealing with arthritis is that it can make simple tasks you have always taken for granted painful and difficult. We rarely worry about opening a jar or a door, but arthritis can make even these basic tasks challenging. With Great Grips, you can open any door or jar. Just stretch the Grip over the knob or lid, and you suddenly have the leverage and gripping surface you need to make any gripping task a snap. The cordless, ergonomic, automatic Gizmo Can Opener can bring the same kind of ease to your kitchen tasks, insuring that arthritis won't sideline the home-gourmet in you.

The Evoluent company has even built a better mouse so the computer -savvy arthritis sufferer can stay logged-in without stress or strain.

Consult your doctor. Find out if you are suffering from arthritis, and what you can do about it. With the right treatments – and the right products – arthritis doesn't have to be such a pain.