One in five Americans suffer from arthritis—the inflammation of one or more joints. At Dr. Salma Aziz, Foot and Ankle Speciality Group Inc., we can help with this condition.
Most cases of arthritis fall into one of two primary types: osteoarthritis (which causes the breakdown of the cartilage that caps the bones and pads the joints) and rheumatoid arthritis (an autoimmune disease which primarily targets the synovium, which lines the joints). Arthritis can also arise due to bodily acidity and inflammation as a primary or secondary symptom of any number of diseases, infections, and disorders.
Arthritis is defined by a set of symptoms more so than the specifics of what causes them. It’s important to note that the following are not the only potential symptoms of arthritis, as the inflammation of tissues can have far-reaching effects on the body. Reactive arthritis, for example, is also associated with eye inflammation and skin ulcers, while arthritis affecting neck joints can lead to chronic headaches. That said, the most common symptoms include, but are not limited to the following:
Different forms of arthritis have different root causes, and accordingly have different risk factors. Despite the wide range of potential causes, however, we can associate certain risk factors with an overall increase in the likelihood that one may end up suffering one or more forms of arthritis:
If members of your family experience a form of arthritis — even one with a physical component like osteoarthritis — you are more likely to suffer from it yourself.
Most forms of arthritis become more likely to develop with age. Even those with a genetic component may only reach clinical significance later in life.
Your gender influences your likelihood of developing various forms of arthritis. Although women are more likely to develop some form of arthritis, various forms are much more common in men.
Obesity increases the likelihood of developing arthritis, even in joints which aren’t affected by increased wear and tear with increased weight. Symptoms will be far more pronounced in lower body joints, i.e., each pound of body weight exerts four more pounds of pressure on your knees when walking.
Joints that have been previously injured are significantly more likely to develop symptoms of arthritis or present with more severe symptoms than other joints in your body.
Any inflammatory illness (even those not necessarily associated with your joints) increase the likelihood of developing arthritis. For example, one in three patients with inflammatory bowel disease suffer from arthritis.
The key to managing arthritis is early recognition of the condition. The sooner you identify the problem—and the specific form of arthritis—the better you’ll be able to mitigate and minimize ongoing damage to your joints.
