Causes | Signs of Arthritis

Being pregnant can make you sore from carrying the extra weight inside of you. Also sleeping on your side in the later stages of pregnancy can cause back and neck pains. This is normal, and can be eased with traditional remedies such as body massage and warm baths. The medical term for chronic, systemic arthritis is Rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In the United States, 1 in 100 people suffer from this condition and it is three times more likely to afflict women than men. In severe cases the disease can be completely debilitating. There is good news for you, however, if you are a sufferer of rheumatoid arthritis and are pregnant. Your symptoms are likely to lesson during pregnancy.

Pregnancy advice is important for women with arthritis and other rheumatic diseases who worry about becoming pregnant. Some women with rheumatic diseases have even been advised against becoming pregnant. It is unknown exactly why pregnant women have significantly less symptoms of arthritis during pregnancy, but the statistics have been proven. What is your chance of improved conditions for your RA during pregnancy? Between 70 -80 %. There are varying theories to why the intensity of pain from RA decreases while pregnant, and they are medically technical. I’m no doctor myself; however my compilation of the technical reasons follows in a simple explanation. As the woman’s body changes to prepare for delivery she becomes more resistant to pain in general. This general reduction in sensitivity to pain results in not the stimulation of the nerves from RA being reduced, but rather from the perception of it being received in the brain. Please take this unproven theory with a grain of salt, but the fact remains that you’ll be sleeping easier.

The worry comes from uncertainty about how a woman’s rheumatic condition will affect the pregnancy as well as how pregnancy will affect her rheumatic condition. If you have arthritis and you are pregnant or if becoming pregnant is a consideration, know what pregnancy advice applies to your condition.

One important matter to consider is the postponement of the usage of medication for RA until after birth. Medicines for this condition have been documented to cause birth defects. There are other medications which you could switch to that would not have the same chance of affecting the child. Of course, you must consult with your doctor regarding this. Luckily, if you’re a sufferer from RA there is relief on the horizon if you’re pregnant. Now you’ll just have normal neck and back pain like everybody else!

When is comes to losing baby weight there are many additional things to consider such as your medical history. But either way, losing weight after pregnancy doesn’t have to be difficult and you can even improve your health at the same time.

“If you have a lot of tension and you get a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle”: “Take two aspirin” and “Keep away from children” – author unknown. Migraine sufferers are everywhere, and anyone can suffer from them. They are mothers and fathers, daughters and sons, professionals and sanitation workers, young and old. Most people think that a migraine is only a headache. But chronic sufferers know that these are not ordinary headaches. The pain that these people feel is often debilitating. Yet non-sufferers and even some medical professionals believe that it’s all their heads The truth is the pain is real, and yes, it is definitely in their heads, but also their jaws, ears, eyes, sinuses and necks as well. It is amazing just how much a true migraine headache can affect an individual. It can interfere with a person’s home life, work productivity and relationships with family and friends. It makes recreation and exercise very difficult, and can interfere with an individual’s ability to enjoy life. Many headache sufferers will try to treat themselves at first, and then will finally go to see a doctor. Yet often they can only get temporary relief. Chronic headache sufferers generally have a poorer quality of life compared with people with other disorders, such as arthritis.

Migraine headache effect 28 million Americans on a regular basis. Approximately 25% have four or more attacks each month.Disability from migraines occurs in as many as 80% of sufferers. It is not unusual to meet people who are so disabled by their headaches that getting from their beds to the bathroom is a major endeavor. But “It’s only a headache.” Society does not understand the impact that headaches have on the people who suffer from them. People can miss work due to a head cold or the flu, but if they call in with a headache, they are considered lazy. A migraine or tension headache is a debilitating disorder that can literally control a person’s life.

Headaches are the number one complaint that patients go to the neurologist for, and the number three cause of lost workdays. It is estimated that approximately 45 million Americans have chronic headache of some type, including migraines. At least half of these people experience headaches severe enough to be disabling part of the time. This can be rather costly: regular victims of chronic headaches make over 8 million visits to their doctor’s office every year. Migraine sufferers alone lose over 157 million workdays due to headache pain. The economic toll on society of all of these lost work days is staggering. Not to mention the devastating impact that these headaches have upon the individual’s quality of life.

Luckily, with advances in Medicine and Dentistry, there is hope for these sufferers. Headache treatment on a regular basis using Neuromuscular Dentistry has met wtih great success.

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Other related topics – Causes of Arthritis | Natural Arthritis Treatment

Managing Arthritis Pain – How you Can Stay in Control of your Arthritis

Have you ever ridden on a roller coaster and felt like you were out of control? LIFE can be like a roller coaster for those of us with Arthritis. There are good days and bad days. It is what we do with what we have—that counts.

Arthritis affects nearly 70 million Americans. There are more than 100 types of arthritis including Rheumatoid arthritis and degenerative arthritis. There are numerous arthritis treatments to help manage the pain as well. Arthritis is a major cause of chronic pain and leading cause of disability in the United States.

Did you know that the word arthritis literally means “joint inflammation?” Inflammation and pain are involved in most types of arthritis. Aching, throbbing, nagging, sometimes sharp pain – arthritis hurts!

It can make simple, daily activities like opening a pill bottle, getting out of a chair or even walking difficult. There is no cure for arthritis but there are things you can do to help manage arthritis pain symptoms.

See your doctor: Know what type of arthritis you have. Early diagnosis is important to proper treatment and prevention of permanent joint damage. Follow your doctor’s advice.

Keep a Positive Attitude: Make a plan for managing your arthritis. Take control. Arthritis is a condition that requires your participation in ongoing care.

Control your weight: Increased weight adds stress on joints in your back, hips, knees and feet. Less weight will reduce this stress.

Exercise: Stay fit! Exercise regularly to build muscles and keep joints moving well. Inactivity can increase your weight gain and your pain. Exercise (even walking 30 minutes a day or 10 minutes 3X a day) can increase strength and stability in weakened muscles and mobility in your joints. Remember the saying “Use it or lose it” – Then MOVE it!

Relax your muscles: Stress increases muscle tension, pain and feelings of helplessness and depression. Try relaxing by tensing and releasing muscle groups. Start at your head and work down to your toes. Deep breathing also helps to reduce stress.

Use assistive devices: Specially designed tools, called assistive devices, can help you perform basic activities. Long handled reachers, padded cooking utensils, etc., are available in stores, catalogs, and online.

Avoid improper positions: Using good posture and good body mechanics will help protect your joints. Don’t slouch in your chair; keep your head, neck and back straight, your legs uncrossed and your feet on the floor. This will help you reduce unnecessary pain.

Move around: Don’t stay in the same position too long. Taking frequent stretch breaks will reduce joint stiffness and pain.

Respect your Arthritis pain: Pain is a signal from your body that something is wrong. Arthritis causes some chronic pain, but when you have sudden excessive pain after an activity, you may have overexerted yourself or have been doing the activity incorrectly. Listen to your body, learn your limits and take extra care when you have pain.

Know your limits: Rest when you are tired. Arthritis can cause fatigue muscle weakness – a deep exhaustion that makes everything you do a great effort. Give yourself permission to rest. Pace yourself – don’t overexert yourself on one project. Break jobs down into smaller pieces that you can do over a period of time with rest breaks.

With proper attention to these items you can manage your arthritis pain.

Maureen Wright
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/managing-arthritis-pain-how-you-can-stay-in-control-of-your-arthritis-154678.html

Di – Degenerative Disc Disease, Neck Pain, Arthritis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Anxiety, Shingles

Patient has Degenerative Disc Disease with compressed discs at C4,C5,C6 and bone spurs. She has had arthritis neck pain and numbness of both hands for the past 15 years.

She also has Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in both wrists for the past 22 years. With the NBE Treatment her shoulder and neck are more flexible.

She does not need Carpal Tunnel Surgery. In addition, she no longer has anxiety which she suffered from for many years. The NBE treatment also helped her with a recent episode of Shingles.

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Arthritis neck pain, One Of The Many Rheumatic Diseases

The main common characteristics of the rheumatic conditions are represented by inflammations, followed by a disability of one of the body’s supporting structures. The most affected by rheumatic diseases are the articulations, ligaments, bones, tendons and muscles that become painful, swollen and rigid. Some of the 100 types of rheumatic disorders may affect the other organs.

Some people generically call “arthritis” any kind of rheumatic problem. But, unlike the other conditions, arthritis only attacks the articulations. There are some rheumatic diseases that are considered disorders of connective tissues, while others are seen as auto immune.

Some rheumatic diseases are :

* – Rheumatic arthritis is a disease in which the synovium is swollen and very painful. The articulations hurt, become rigid and are severely damaged or taken out of use. The articulations of the hand of the feet are the most affected. Rheumatic arthritis is a symmetrical disease, which affects 1% of the population, only in the U.S.

* – Juvenile rheumatic arthritis is the most frequent arthritis that affects children. Most of the symptoms are common to those of the adults, but there are others to be added such as rashes and fever

* – osteoarthritis affects the cartilages and makes them wear away. It causes pain of the articulations, rigidity, and in case it touches the spine, disables it ,the knees and hips, too. It is the most frequent form of arthritis and it affects over 21 millions of Americans

* – Systematic lupus erythematosus has a auto immune character. The healthy cells and tissues are damaged by the organism’s own means of protecting itself against infections. The inflammation produced by this disease attacks the skin, the articulations, the kidneys, the brain, the blood vessels, the heart and the lungs.

* – Spondyloarthopathies that mostly attack the spine have, as any common form of ankylosing spondylitis. The spine is followed by the shoulders, hips and knees, then the inflammation extends over the tendons and ligaments, which become painful and rigid. It mostly affects young people. Other example of spondyloarthopathy is Reiter’s syndrome, an infection of the bowel, the lower urinary tract and causes skin rashes, eye problems and mouth sores.

* – Fibromylagia has a chronic character and gives the articulations and the tissues that determine the bones to move, pain, rigidity, and localized sensitivity of the muscles and tendons. It especially affects the spine, shoulders, hips and neck and causes the patient insomnia and tiredness.

* – Scleroderma, or systematic sclerosis affects the skin, articulations and blood vessels, and, sometimes, internal organs. It is caused by an over increased quantity of collagen inside the body.

* – Polymylagia rheumatica is very painful and causes rigidity of the shoulders, hips, neck and lower back, especially in the morning. It affects tendons, muscles, ligaments and everything that surrounds the articulations. In time, it may degenerate into giant cell arthritis, a disorder that affects the arteries and generates weight loss, fever, swelling and weakness.

* – Gout is a type of arthritis generated by the deposits of uric acid crystals in the articulations. Has as main symptoms inflammation, swelling, and almost unbearable pain

* – Psoriatic arthritis affects only people with psoriasis. It mostly affects the fingers and toes’ articulations and it modifies the aspect of the nails. In case it touches the spine, back pain is added to the symptoms

* – Infectious arthritis is caused by viruses or bacteria. Two examples are gonococcal arthritis and parvovirus arthritis. The symptoms of arthritis often appear in Lyme disease. This disease is generated by bacterial infection that occurs after the bite of some ticks.

An early diagnosis is vital to prevent a serious damage.

* – Tendinitis is, as the name says, a disorder of the tendons. They become inflamed, painful and extremely sensitive and produce restriction of movement

* – Bursitis is produced by the swelling of the bursae, it generates sensitivity and pain and limits the movements of the close articulations

* – Polymyositis weakens and inflames the muscle. It may cause disability, in case it affects the entire body.

Ethan Armitage

http://www.articlesbase.com/medicine-articles/arthritis-one-of-the-many-rheumatic-diseases-110840.html