Non-Surgical Treatment of arthritis and RA

Number of people start to feel pain and stiffness in the bodies over time. From time to time, their hands or knees get sore and are hard to move and may become swollen, often we see that these symptoms are signs of arthritis.

Arthritis may be caused by inflammation of synovial (Synovitis), joint capsule, cartilage and other components of joint accompanied by pain and limited mobility in the articulations. Some signs of inflammation include redness, heat, pain, and swelling.

Joints are places where two bones meet, is also called an articulation, example - individuals’ elbow or knee. Over time, in some types of arthritis the joints involved can become severely damaged.

What Are the Types of Arthritis?

There are several types of arthritis. The two most common ones are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis..

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. This condition usually comes with age and most often affects the fingers, knees, and hips. Sometimes osteoarthritis follows an injury to a joint. For example, a young person might hurt his knee badly playing soccer. Or someone might fall or be injured in a car accident. Then, years after the individual’s knee has apparently healed, he might get arthritis in his knee joint.

Rheumatoid arthritis happens when the body’s own defense system doesn’t work properly. It affects joints and bones (often of the hands and feet), and may also affect internal organs and systems. You may feel sick or tired, and you may have a fever.

Gout is another common type of arthritis. The disease is caused by deposition of uric acid crystals around joints in individuals with high uric acid level in the blood. It usually affects the big toe, but many other joints may be affected.

Do I Have Arthritis?

Most types of arthritis cause pain in your joints. You might face movement disorders and partial disability. Some kinds of arthritis can affect different parts of your body. So, along with pain in your joints, you may:

• have a fever;
• lose weight;
• have trouble breathing;
• get a rash or itch;

These symptoms may also be signs of other illnesses. So please consult a doctor. If we say about arthritis and types of it, some practitioners define the disease as «joint inflammation».

While there are some features among kinds of arthritis, for example, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is noticed as a chronic (long-lasting) inflammatory disease^[1] that mostly affects joints, as well as other surrounding tissues, including organs.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder when the immune system attacks the healthy joint tissues. The disease can affect any joint. Most often, the pathology is localized in the joints of the wrist, fingers, heels or knees causing pain, swelling, stiffness, and loss of function in joints.

Do I have RA?

As we have mentioned above, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a type of arthritis. See below some differences between RA and other types of the disease:

• Pain: The pain with RA tends to occur when you’re at rest while osteoarthritis aches are more likely to happen with movement;
• Rheumatoid arthritis usually affects small joints like wrists, knee, etc. —and it’s symmetrical. Means if one hand has got the pain, the other hand does, too. Other forms of arthritis, such as polyarthritis, occurs in weight-bearing joints such as knees and hips the most;
• Rheumatoid arthritis is most often diagnosed between the ages 40 to 60;
• RA may cause medical problems outside of the joints, in areas such as the heart, lungs, blood, nerves, eyes, and skin ^[2].

What Can I Do?

Go see a doctor. Many people use herbs or medicines that you can buy without a prescription for pain. You should tell your doctor if you do. Only a doctor can tell if you have arthritis or a related condition and what to do about it.

You’ll need to tell the doctor how you feel and where you hurt. The doctor will examine you and may take x rays (pictures) of your bones or joints. The x rays don’t hurt .You may also have to give a little blood for tests that will help the doctor decide what kind of arthritis you may have.

How Will the Doctor Help?

After the doctor knows what kind of arthritis you have, he or she will talk with you about the best way to treat it. The doctor may give you a prescription for medicine that will help with the pain, stiffness, and inflammation.

How Should I Use Arthritis Medicine?

Before you leave the doctor’s office, make sure you ask about the best way to take the medicine the doctor prescribes.

For example, to eat something just before or after taking them, to make sure they don’t upset your stomach.

Treatments for RA include disease-modifying-anti-rheumatic-drugs (DMARDs), which work by suppressing the immune system and therefore reducing inflammation in your joints, slowing the progression of the disease.

What If I Still Hurt?

Sometimes you might still have pain after using your medicine.

• Take a warm shower;
• Do some gentle stretching exercises?
• Use an ice pack on the sore area ;^[3]
• Rest the sore joint.

You Can Feel Better!

Arthritis can damage your joints, internal organs, and skin. There are things you can do to keep the damage from getting worse. They might also make you feel better:

• Try to keep your weight down. Too much weight can make your knees and hips hurt.
• Exercise. Moving all of your joints will help you. The doctor or nurse can show you how to move more easily. Going for a walk every day will help, too.
• Take your medicines when and how you are supposed to. They can help reduce pain and stiffness.
• Try taking a warm shower in the morning.
• See your doctor regularly.

PEMF assists in healing different types of arthritis including RA. The Therapy works at a cellular level. Rapid regeneration of bones and cartilages occurs with regular use of PEMF therapy for Arthritis along with appropriate nutrition and supplements.

In 2016, Oxford Rheumatology published a paper where the results suggest that PEMF therapy is effective for pain management of arthritis knee.

PEMF can reduce chronic joint swelling and pain in patients with RA ^[4] according to study published on National Library of Medicine

ELAMED specializes in-house production of PEMF Therapy Devices for home use to heal musculoskeletal system disorders and get rid of arthritis symptoms .

References:

1. ↩ What Is Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)?
2. ↩ Rheumatoid Arthritis
3. ↩ Non-Surgical Treatment of Spine and Back Conditions
4. ↩ Exposure to a specific pulsed low-frequency magnetic field: A double-blind placebo-controlled study of effects on pain ratings in rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia patients