Arthritis Out smart the Arthritis- Keep moving!

The day, 12th of October each year, is dedicated to address the cause and create awareness on a manageable bane- Arthritis! The theme for ‘World Arthritis Day’ this year is ‘Don’t Delay Connect Today’.

What is Arthritis?

The word "Arthritis"comes from the greek word ‘ arthon’ meaning joint and latin word ‘ inflammare’ meaning swelling. Arthritis is a painful condition of the joints that often involves the hips, knees, neck, lower back or small joints of the hands and feet. It is shows signs like swelling, redness and warmth and difficulty in movement of the affected joints.

What are its types?

There are around 100 different types of arthritis. However, two most common types are rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA). RA is caused when our body is attacked by our own immune cell (Cells that defend our body). Whereas, OA is caused due to wear and tear of joints.

Do I have Arthritis? Arthritis show various signs and symptoms, few common ones are listed below:

Osteoarthritis Rheumatoid arthritis
Pain in joints Stiffness after prolonged period of rest
Stiffness, especially in the morning Both sides of the body are equally affected
Difficulty in movement Hand and feet joints are more affected
Swelling of joints Swelling and pain in joints
Joint crackling or popping sound/sensation Larger number of swollen and painful joints
Weakness in the muscles General feeling of illness or discomfort

What causes arthritis? -

  • Obesity or overweight
  • Aging (although old people are more prone, it can also occur in any age)
  • Injury to joints
  • Excess stress on joints
  • Genetic defects
  • Smoking
  • Gender-females are more prone

Let’s look into stats! -

  • Arthritis affects more than one out of four adults.
  • Females are two to three times more likely to be affected as compared to males.
  • 0.3% and 1% of the world’s population is affected by RA.
  • Again RA is more common in women and in developed nations.
  • It is estimated that 9.6% of men and 18.0% of women above 60 years of age have osteoarthritis.

Overcoming the hurdles - Nothing is impossible, everything depends on how we approach it. Few ways to manage arthritis are given below:

Diet- Food to be avoided- Corn and corn oils, dairy products, processed food, baked food, salt and preservatives.
Food to be eaten:Olive, nuts, flax seeds, vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli and fruits such as strawberries and blackberries. Food rich in vitamin C and D can be included in diet.
Exercise/Yoga-Yoga is known to have beneficial effects on arthritis affected individuals, it improves physical as well as psychological strength. It generate a positive feeling of well being and improves the mobility (movement) of joints.

“Keep yourself motivated and moving to stay ahead of arthritis!”