Arthritis is a common and general term used for inflamed joints, there is no cure for many types of arthritis; however, there are ways to reduce your risk, arthritis and some forms of joint pain are hereditary, if arthritis, osteoarthritis and some form joint pain exists in you close relatives, then there is a high chance that you will be likely to suffer such form of disease at any stage of your life. The good news is that you can reduce your risk to involve arthritis or joint pain and an important step toward its prevention is to know about you risk for developing arthritis.
Here are some tips by adopting these we can reduce risk factor.
Lose weight if you need to. Weight is by far one of the major modifiable risk factors for osteoarthritis, according to Patience White, M.D., a Washington, D.C.-based rheumatologist and chief public health officer for the Arthritis Foundation.
"Weight is a very clear risk factor for knee, hip and back osteoarthritis. It's directly related to the amount of load that goes through the joint," says Yusuf Yazici, M.D., a rheumatologist and director of the Seligman Center at the New York University Hospital for Joint Disease.
Weight is a factor at any age. Childhood obesity has been associated with osteoarthritis of the hip, says Elinor Mody, M.D., staff rheumatologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and director of its Women's Orthopedic and Joint Disease Center.
The solution, experts say, is to maintain normal body weight. Even losing small amounts (5 pounds) will have a significant impact on how your joints feel because it can help decrease pain [from osteoarthritis of the knee] by 50 percent — which some experts say is better than any drug out there.
Eat an apple a day – Make sure that you keep the peel on the apple, as it is the peel that contains antioxidants – five times more than the flesh of the apple. Antioxidants can help to reduce inflammation and joint pain. Eat more of the other food groups that are high in antioxidants to further lessen the risk.
Eat olives – Olives contain hydroxytyrosol. This extract is ten times higher in joint relieving antioxidants that that found in vitamin C.
Take supplements – Taking a daily supplement can help to reduce the risk of joint pain, and minimize the risk of developing it in later life. A combination of omega-3 and glucosamine has been found to be more effective than taking glucosamine alone (always consult your doctor before taking supplements).
Cut down on running – Especially if you usually run along pavements, which can increase the pressure on your knees and other joints. Cycling burns the same amount of calories, and is a lower impact exercise. If you really must run, then try to find a running track to practice on, or alternate daily with a low impact exercise such as walking and swimming. However, exercise in general will help encourage your body to produce natural oils and lubricants to help prevent the joints wearing down. Specific exercises that can increase range of motion, include extending and flexing the knee and hip, walking and swimming.
Aging, Most people get osteoarthritis after age 45, according to the Arthritis Foundation. In fact, nearly everybody has some evidence of the degenerative disease at some point, even if it doesn't cause pain, Mody says.
The way to maintain joint mobility and comfort as you age is to stay fit and active.
"Keep moving," Mody says. "… any kind of muscle strengthening activity is very important. The stronger the muscles around the joints, the more force [that] is taken off of the joint. Range-of-motion activity is very important, particularly with osteoarthritis of the knee and hip."
Avoid High heels – Keeping your heel height to 2 inches or less for every day wear may help to minimize the risk of joint pain in later life, by lessening the strain on your knees. Keep your high heels for special occasions only.
Being female. Women have a higher incidence than men of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, so they especially should know their family histories of autoimmune diseases and see their doctor for an early assessment or treatment. "We have some very good therapies for rheumatoid arthritis, but the longer the disease goes on, the more joint damage that will occur".
Having other diseases increases your chances of osteoarthritis. Inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis, especially early in life, can cause osteoarthritis later in life. Psoriasis and certain types of colitis such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are other diseases that can make you more prone to arthritis.
What can you do if you have any of these? The most important thing is to be aware of your heightened risk for arthritis and to let your doctor know your full medical history so that any signs of arthritis can be treated immediately, Mody says.
Having significant joint injuries when you're younger means arthritis when you're older. A joint traumatized by accident, sports injury or surgery is significantly more vulnerable to osteoarthritis early on, Yazici says.
"If you injure the tendons and ligaments, you disrupt the stability of the joint. So there's more micromovement of the joint, which increases the rubbing and forces that go through the cartilage," Yazici adds. "That wears on the joint, and the pain fibers are under the cartilage, so you get more pain and more limited motion."
"We know that when you have a major injury to your joint … you have osteoarthritis within 12 years. If you do it in high school, you've got [arthritis] in your mid-30s," White says. "One way to avoid that is to build better muscles. Physical activity, with strengthening and stretching, is crucial here. Every decade you lose muscle capacity and muscle bulk unless you work harder. So every decade you have to work harder to hold your muscle strength the same."
Mody recommends such exercises as walking and biking for the lower legs as well as working out with Nautilus-type equipment (but with lower weights and higher repetitions).
It's never too early to take the right steps toward preventing arthritis. And even if you can’t ward it off completely, experts say that you can slow its onset and progression and stay active and pain-free for a longer time.
Here are some tips by adopting these we can reduce risk factor.
Lose weight if you need to. Weight is by far one of the major modifiable risk factors for osteoarthritis, according to Patience White, M.D., a Washington, D.C.-based rheumatologist and chief public health officer for the Arthritis Foundation.
"Weight is a very clear risk factor for knee, hip and back osteoarthritis. It's directly related to the amount of load that goes through the joint," says Yusuf Yazici, M.D., a rheumatologist and director of the Seligman Center at the New York University Hospital for Joint Disease.
Weight is a factor at any age. Childhood obesity has been associated with osteoarthritis of the hip, says Elinor Mody, M.D., staff rheumatologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and director of its Women's Orthopedic and Joint Disease Center.
The solution, experts say, is to maintain normal body weight. Even losing small amounts (5 pounds) will have a significant impact on how your joints feel because it can help decrease pain [from osteoarthritis of the knee] by 50 percent — which some experts say is better than any drug out there.
Eat an apple a day – Make sure that you keep the peel on the apple, as it is the peel that contains antioxidants – five times more than the flesh of the apple. Antioxidants can help to reduce inflammation and joint pain. Eat more of the other food groups that are high in antioxidants to further lessen the risk.
Eat olives – Olives contain hydroxytyrosol. This extract is ten times higher in joint relieving antioxidants that that found in vitamin C.
Take supplements – Taking a daily supplement can help to reduce the risk of joint pain, and minimize the risk of developing it in later life. A combination of omega-3 and glucosamine has been found to be more effective than taking glucosamine alone (always consult your doctor before taking supplements).
Cut down on running – Especially if you usually run along pavements, which can increase the pressure on your knees and other joints. Cycling burns the same amount of calories, and is a lower impact exercise. If you really must run, then try to find a running track to practice on, or alternate daily with a low impact exercise such as walking and swimming. However, exercise in general will help encourage your body to produce natural oils and lubricants to help prevent the joints wearing down. Specific exercises that can increase range of motion, include extending and flexing the knee and hip, walking and swimming.
Aging, Most people get osteoarthritis after age 45, according to the Arthritis Foundation. In fact, nearly everybody has some evidence of the degenerative disease at some point, even if it doesn't cause pain, Mody says.
The way to maintain joint mobility and comfort as you age is to stay fit and active.
"Keep moving," Mody says. "… any kind of muscle strengthening activity is very important. The stronger the muscles around the joints, the more force [that] is taken off of the joint. Range-of-motion activity is very important, particularly with osteoarthritis of the knee and hip."
Avoid High heels – Keeping your heel height to 2 inches or less for every day wear may help to minimize the risk of joint pain in later life, by lessening the strain on your knees. Keep your high heels for special occasions only.
Being female. Women have a higher incidence than men of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, so they especially should know their family histories of autoimmune diseases and see their doctor for an early assessment or treatment. "We have some very good therapies for rheumatoid arthritis, but the longer the disease goes on, the more joint damage that will occur".
Having other diseases increases your chances of osteoarthritis. Inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis, especially early in life, can cause osteoarthritis later in life. Psoriasis and certain types of colitis such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are other diseases that can make you more prone to arthritis.
What can you do if you have any of these? The most important thing is to be aware of your heightened risk for arthritis and to let your doctor know your full medical history so that any signs of arthritis can be treated immediately, Mody says.
Having significant joint injuries when you're younger means arthritis when you're older. A joint traumatized by accident, sports injury or surgery is significantly more vulnerable to osteoarthritis early on, Yazici says.
"If you injure the tendons and ligaments, you disrupt the stability of the joint. So there's more micromovement of the joint, which increases the rubbing and forces that go through the cartilage," Yazici adds. "That wears on the joint, and the pain fibers are under the cartilage, so you get more pain and more limited motion."
"We know that when you have a major injury to your joint … you have osteoarthritis within 12 years. If you do it in high school, you've got [arthritis] in your mid-30s," White says. "One way to avoid that is to build better muscles. Physical activity, with strengthening and stretching, is crucial here. Every decade you lose muscle capacity and muscle bulk unless you work harder. So every decade you have to work harder to hold your muscle strength the same."
Mody recommends such exercises as walking and biking for the lower legs as well as working out with Nautilus-type equipment (but with lower weights and higher repetitions).
It's never too early to take the right steps toward preventing arthritis. And even if you can’t ward it off completely, experts say that you can slow its onset and progression and stay active and pain-free for a longer time.