Arthritis, has it crippled you?

Arthritis is basically an inflammation of the joint(s). This can often be traced to an injury of the joint, a degenerative disease in the joint, or age of the patient.

All forms of this condition feature pain, often-severe unbearable pain, plus stiffness and swelling in the joints. This is not a single disease with one cause and in one part of the body, there are about a hundred diseases that are gathered in this group and all have similar affects.

Any part of the body can become infected with this very painful disease, in some cases, it is very debilitating and can threaten the life.

Complications from this disease can spread to other parts of the body and even affect the internal organs and muscles and bones.

This affliction can strike anyone at any age, even children. But, the likelihood of being affected by some form of this condition increases with age. Apart from the risk increasing with age other risk factors can bring it on, e.g. obesity, trauma to a joint, over use of a joint, or the immune system can be fooled by circumstances into causing the body’s own defensive system to attack itself resulting in joint damage.

Whatever the cause, if Arthritis is left undiagnosed and untreated, many types of this disorder can cause irreversible damage to the joints, bones, organs and skin.

You may suspect that you have disease is you have one of the following: -

• persistent joint pain,
• swollen, stiff joints which are red and warm,
• difficulty in holding things, like a pen for writing or throwing a ball
• joints become deformed,
• flexibility of joints diminish,
• extreme fatigue, lack or energy, weakness.

A cure for this disease does not appear to be available, but the affects of it can be lessened by use of the following: -

• medication,
• therapy,
• joint support,
• exercise,
• patient education,
• weight loss,
• surgery,
• a balance nutritious diet.

Than Green Stuff
A site that may hold some hope of lessening the effects of this illness and which will add to the fund of knowledge about this condition can be found here.

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