Bodytalk
Question: What exactly is arthritis? Stay in shape
to avoid arthritisAnswer: It's a disease that causes joint inflammation and pain. Most forms of arthritis also affect the surrounding muscle, tendons and ligaments.
There are two major types of arthritis: osteoarthritis, often called the "wear and tear" disease, and rheumatoid arthritis, which is an autoimmune disease.
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. It's a chronic condition that usually begins in midlife. Its causes are not entirely clear. We believe that a previous injury can increase your risk for developing osteoarthritis. A sedentary lifestyle, being excessively overweight, and certain genetic disorders can also lead to the condition. Other possible causes include environmental factors, certain foods, infectious organisms and enzymatic imbalance.
Osteoarthritis can affect any joint. It involves the wearing away of the cartilage that surrounds the bones in your joints. Cartilage is what prevents the grinding of bone against bone as you move. As the cartilage wears away, exposed bones touch each other and rub together.
Symptoms of osteoarthritis include pain and stiffness in the affected joints. There may also be occasional swelling. Typically, symptoms come on slowly. There are relatively calm periods where an individual can be symptom-free, but these are usually followed by flare-ups.
The other major type of arthritis is rheumatoid. It's a more severe form of the disease. Only about 5 percent of people with arthritis have rheumatoid arthritis. The condition is an autoimmune disorder in which your immune system attacks parts of your own body.
With rheumatoid arthritis, the synovial membrane that protects and lubricates your joints becomes inflamed. This causes pain and swelling. If the disease is left untreated, chemicals are released into your joints that start to digest the cartilage, bone, tendons and ligaments. Of course the joint and surrounding muscles become very weak. Eventually the joint will destroy itself.
Rheumatoid arthritis can affect any joint, but wrists, knuckles and other small joints are among the most common sites. Because the immune system is involved, rheumatoid arthritis can affect your entire body, including your heart, lungs and other organs. It also can cause overall muscle aches, fatigue, anemia and low-grade fever. Its causes are still unknown. Some researchers believe that rheumatoid arthritis is triggered by an infection. If you happen to have an inherited susceptibility to infections, you may be at a higher risk of developing the disease. Infections cause the immune cells to fight the invading organism, but the arthritis also causes these same cells to attack the lining of your joints.
If you suspect that you have arthritis, see your doctor. He or she will be able to diagnose your condition and prescribe the appropriate treatment. In the meantime, do some weight-bearing exercises two or three times per week.
Learn to relax. Stress causes muscle tension, and muscle tension exacerbates joint pain. Eat a balanced diet to control your weight, as being overweight puts an extra strain on your joints. Take a daily walk. Walking is not only good for your body, but also good for your soul.
Stephenie Karony is a certified health and fitness instructor,
a personal trainer and author of "Body Shaping With Free Weights.''
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