Arthritis - Types & Symptoms
DJAB • September 26, 2020
You CAN live well with arthritis. Understanding the type of arthritis you have, and how it can be treated and managed is the first step.
Understanding arthritis
The most important step to living well with arthritis is to learn about your condition and its management. Whether you are looking for information about your type of arthritis, living with arthritis or its medical management, our website has a multitude of resources to help you: information sheets, booklets, videos and personal stories from people across Australia who are living well with arthritis.
What does ‘arthritis’ mean?
‘Arthritis’ is a name for a group of conditions affecting the joints. These conditions cause damage to the joints, usually resulting in pain and stiffness. Arthritis can affect many different parts of the joint and nearly every joint in the body.
Is rheumatism different to arthritis?
Not really. Rheumatism is just a more general word that was used in the past. It describes any pain in your bones, muscles and joints. Now we know more about problems with bones, muscles and joints, so we use words like back pain, tendinitis and arthritis to describe these conditions.
Are there different types of arthritis?
There are over 100 forms of arthritis. Each type of arthritis affects you and your joints in different ways. Some forms of arthritis can also involve other parts of the body such as the eyes. The most common forms of arthritis are:
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Gout
- Ankylosing spondylitis
Who gets arthritis?
Anyone can get arthritis, including children and young people. In Australia, one in six people have arthritis. Many people think arthritis is a normal part of getting older. This is not true. In fact, two out of every three people with arthritis are between 15 and 60 years old. Arthritis can affect people from all backgrounds, ages and lifestyles.
What are the symptoms?
Arthritis affects people in different ways but the most common symptoms are:
pain
- stiffness or reduced movement of a joint
- swelling in a joint
- inflammation
- redness and warmth in a joint
- general symptoms, such as tiredness, weight loss or feeling unwell.
Is my sore joint arthritis?
There are many different reasons why your joints may be sore. Not all pain in muscles and joints is caused by arthritis. It could be from an injury or using your joints and muscles in an unusual way (for example, playing a new sport or lifting heavy boxes). Talk to your doctor if you have pain and stiffness that:
- starts for no clear reason
- lasts for more than a few days
- comes on with swelling, redness and warmth of your joints.
How can I find out if I have arthritis?
See your doctor as soon as possible if you have symptoms of arthritis. Your doctor will ask you about your symptoms and examine your joints. They may do some tests or x-rays, but these can be normal in the early stages of arthritis. It may take several visits before your doctor can tell what type of arthritis you have. This is because some types of arthritis can be hard to diagnose in the early stages. Your doctor may also send you to a rheumatologist, a doctor who specializes in arthritis, for more tests.
Is there a cure for arthritis?
Currently there is no cure for most forms of arthritis. While there are treatments that can effectively control symptoms, you should be wary of any products or treatments that claim to cure arthritis.
Can arthritis be treated?
Many types of arthritis can be easily and effectively controlled by modern treatment. Early diagnosis and the right treatment can ease symptoms and may even prevent damage to your joints. Research has led to great improvements in this area. Because arthritis affects people in different ways, treatment has to be tailored to the needs of each person. It is important to work with your healthcare team to find treatments that suit you.
What can I do?
The good news is that there are many simple things you can do to live well with arthritis:
find out what type of arthritis is affecting you and learn about your treatment options
- stay active: keep your joints moving and your muscles strong
- learn ways to manage pain: there are many things you can do to help you cope with pain
- manage tiredness: learn to balance rest and your normal activities
- keep to a healthy weight: there is no diet that can cure arthritis but a well balanced diet is best for your general health
- look after and protect your joints: find out about equipment and gadgets that can make tasks easier
- acknowledge your feelings and seek support: as there is currently no cure for arthritis it is natural to feel scared, frustrated, sad and sometimes angry. Be aware of these feelings and get help if they start affecting your daily life.
10 steps for living well with arthritis
By taking an active role in understanding and treating your conditions, you will experience less pain and stay more active than those who feel there is nothing they can do.
Here is our 10 steps checklist to help you live with arthritis.
1. Take control by knowing your disease
- Spend the time to understand what type of arthritis you have and then discover the best ways to improve your condition.
- Many people with arthritis say that learning about their arthritis and what they can do about it gives them back a feeling of control over their lives and their health.
- Because arthritis can get worse if left untreated, you need to see your doctor as early as possible to get a proper diagnosis. This will help you understand your arthritis and develop a plan for managing it. Early diagnosis and treatment can limit the effects of arthritis on your life and help you stay active and independent.
3. Work with your healthcare team and be an important part of it.
- The best way to live well with arthritis is by working closely with your healthcare team. It may include a variety of healthcare specialists, such as doctors, pharmacists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, podiatrists, nurses, psychologists and complementary medicine practitioners. Your doctor may also refer you to a rheumatologist (a specialist in conditions that affect the joints and the structures around them).
- Remember, you are the most important member of your healthcare team. Make sure you establish and maintain good communication with all the other members.
4. Know about your treatment options.
- There are many treatments to relieve pain and stiffness and slow the development of your arthritis. Work with your healthcare team to find a combination of treatments that best suits your type of arthritis, the joints affected, the amount of pain or other symptoms you experience and your lifestyle.
5. Find new ways to stay active.
- Research has found that regular exercise is one of the most effective treatments for arthritis. It also helps to improve your overall health.
- Not all forms of exercise are appropriate for every kind of arthritis. Before you start to exercise, it is important to ask your doctor and healthcare team to help you develop a program that will suit your type of arthritis, general health and lifestyle.
6. Learn techniques to help manage your pain
- There are many techniques you can use to cope with pain so you can go on living your life the way you want to. What works for one person may not work for another, so you may have to try different techniques until you find what works best for you. See Dealing with pain.
7. Acknowledge your feelings and seek support.
- It is natural to feel frustrated, angry, scared and even depressed at the prospect of having arthritis. There are many people who can help you deal with the emotional side of arthritis, including family and friends, counselors or psychologists. Remember don’t try to go it alone, get some help.
8. Make food choices that count.
- There are many myths about food and arthritis. However, no diet has been proven by research to cure arthritis and there is very little scientific evidence that specific foods have an effect on arthritis.
9. Balance your life.
- When you have arthritis you need to find the right balance between work, activity and rest. Learn how to pace yourself to make the most of your energy and about equipment that can make daily tasks easier.
10. Call your local State/Territory Arthritis Office.
- Learn about the regular information sessions and arthritis self-management courses run by your local Arthritis Office. These will introduce you to a wide ranges of skills and small changes you can make that can lessen the impact of arthritis on your life.
Finding out your child has arthritis
Finding out that your child has arthritis can be a confusing and anxious time.
Your child’s diagnosis may have come as a huge shock, or perhaps it has been a long, difficult journey to find out the cause of their symptoms. A child being diagnosed with arthritis was never part of a family’s plans. The condition not only impacts the child with arthritis, but also parents, siblings and extended family members.
You will undoubtedly have lots of questions about what this means for your child, your family and the future.
In Australia, the types of arthritis that affect children are commonly referred to as juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA for short).
A booklet Finding out your child has arthritis has been produced for parents, families and carers of children with JIA to answer some of the questions that other parents of children with JIA have struggled with, such as:
- What JIA is, the different types and how your child may be affected
- How JIA is diagnosed
- Treatments for JIA
- What you need to know about your child’s medicines
- How to help your child manage pain
- Keeping your child physically active
- Staying healthy – sleep, rest, healthy eating
- Managing school
- Preparing for your child’s appointments
- Helping your child to cope with the emotional impacts of arthritis
- Teenagers and arthritis
- Caring for the whole family.
Young adults with arthritis
Finding out you have arthritis when you are young can be confusing and frightening. You may have thought that only older people were affected by arthritis. Possibly, the only people you have known with arthritis are your grandparents and their friends, but there are different types of arthritis some of which can affect people of any age, even children and teenagers.
The good news is that arthritis doesn’t need to stop you from having an active social life, studying, working, travelling and having a family. With the right advice, and some adjustments, you can still live your life well, despite your arthritis.
So go ahead… and live your life well
Staying connected
Having friends, an active social life and fulfilling intimate relationships is an important part of life. However, starting and maintaining these connections can be challenging, especially as a young adult with a chronic (long-term) illness such as arthritis. If you live with pain, fatigue, stress and anxiety about the future, it can make it difficult to want to socialise and have the confidence and energy to start and sustain intimate relationships – but it is possible. And, in fact, research has shown that having secure, good-quality relationships can help you cope with the everyday challenges of arthritis.
If you are experiencing feelings such as loneliness, isolation, stress, depression or anxiety, it is important to seek help, so talk to your GP or a psychologist.
Staying active
Physical activity is important for everybody and we all should be regularly exercising. Research has shown that regular exercise is one of the most effective treatments for arthritis. It can strengthen the muscles around your affected joints, improve mobility and flexibility as well as help reduce pain and fatigue.
The key is to find out which exercises are best for you. Your GP or rheumatologist will also be able to help you with this. They may even suggest seeing a physiotherapist, or an appropriately experienced personal trainer or an exercise physiologist, to help design an exercise program tailored to your specific needs. With a doctor’s referral you may be able to see a physiotherapist funded by Medicare. Or if you want to contact a physiotherapist directly, contact the Australian Physiotherapy Association.
Healthy eating
The best diet for people living with arthritis is a healthy, balanced diet, one that helps maintain your general health and well being. No diet has been shown to cure arthritis, but the good news is researchers have identified certain foods that can help control inflammation. Many of them are found in the so-called Mediterranean diet, which is rich in fish, vegetables and olive oil.
Studies have shown that eating foods rich in omega-3, including oily fish such as sardines and salmon, ground linseed's and walnuts, can help reduce inflammation. Maintaining a healthy weight is also important as extra body weight increases the stresses on joints, especially the hips and knees.
Remember, eating well is one way you can help manage your arthritis, but a healthy diet is not a replacement for taking medicines to manage your arthritis. For more information see Healthy eating and arthritis.
Education and training
Trying to fit in study or training while managing your arthritis and the rest of your life may be a daunting prospect, but with the right support and approach you can successfully ‘hit the books’.
Depending on what you choose to study, there may be some options that make it easier for you to manage.
- Workload. If you find fatigue or tiredness a problem, you could consider studying part-time.
- Mode of study. Many universities and educational organisations offer online courses and other options which mean you don’t always have to go to the campus. These options many be good if you find it easier to study from home.
- On-campus accommodation. If you are facing long days of classes and/or a lengthy commute, you may want to consider the option of living on campus.
Employment
When you have arthritis, work can sometimes feel a lot like hard work especially if your physical symptoms are affecting your ability to get your job done. You might be finding it challenging to stay in your current job, or are worried about finding new work because of your condition. The good news is that treatments for arthritis have significantly improved and, nowadays, many more people with arthritis can keep working despite their condition. In fact, more than 50% of people with rheumatoid arthritis continue to work for twenty years after their diagnosis. Staying in the workforce may require anything from a little support to a complete change of roles, but there are many services available to help you.
If your condition is making it difficult for you to perform your usual work, or find new work, it is important to understand that arthritis is a recognize disability. This means it attracts certain rights outlined in the Disability Discrimination Act and you may be eligible for additional support to help you stay in the workforce.
Travel
You may have always dreamed of hitting the open road…but then you discovered you have arthritis. There is no need to throw the suitcase away just yet; with careful planning you can still have the trip of a lifetime. You will need to consider things like medicines, travel insurance, planning ahead to be able to manage care/train/plane travel and how to pace yourself.
Starting a family
Starting a family is a big step for any couple; perhaps even more so if you have arthritis. You may be worried about whether you can cope with children, how pregnancy might affect your arthritis, and if your children will also develop arthritis. If you are thinking about having a baby, it is important to talk to your doctor before trying to conceive, so you understand what steps you need to take to prepare for pregnancy and parenthood.
It is important for both partners to be fully aware of the risks and challenges associated with pregnancy. Coping with a newborn baby, a toddler or a child requires love, time and commitment from both partners, especially when one has arthritis.
Dealing with pain
Living with pain can be one of the hardest parts of having arthritis. Understanding the pain cycle and learning techniques that may help you cope with pain are an important part of managing your arthritis.
What causes pain
Arthritis pain can be caused by:
- inflammation, the process that causes heat and swelling in your joints
- damage to the joints
- muscle tension, from trying to protect joints from painful movements.
There may not be a cure for your pain but you can learn to manage it. Try different techniques to find what works best for you.
The pain cycle
Pain, stress, fatigue (tiredness) and depression all affect each other. For example, people who feel depressed or anxious have been found to be more sensitive to pain. This can make your pain feel worse, which can lead to a continuing cycle of fatigue and depression.
The good news is that this pain cycle can be broken by using some of the strategies described below.
What can I do to manage my pain?
Pain may limit some of the things you do, but it doesn’t have to control your life. Your mind plays an important role in how you feel pain. Thinking of pain as a signal to take positive action rather than being scared or worried about it can be helpful. Also you can learn ways to manage your pain. What works for one person may not work for another, so you may have to try different techniques until you find what works best for you.
Here are some things you can try:
- Take medicines wisely. Many different types of medicines can help control the pain of arthritis. Your doctor or pharmacist can help you understand which medicines are right for you and how best to use them.
- Exercise. Research has shown that regular appropriate physical activity can help reduce pain. It also keeps your joints moving, strengthens muscles to support your joints, reduces stress and improves sleep. A health professional (eg. a physiotherapist or exercise physiologist) or your doctor can help you work out a program suitable for you.
- Use heat and cold. The benefits of heat and cold for arthritis are yet to be proven by research. However these treatments are soothing and safe when used carefully. Heat relaxes your muscles and stimulates blood circulation. You could try a warm bath, or place a heat pack or hot water bottle over the painful area for 15 minutes. Cold numbs the painful area and reduces swelling. Applying cold treatments, such as ice packs, to the painful area for 15 minutes may be especially useful for hot, swollen joints, such as during a ‘flare’. You can repeat heat or cold treatments throughout the day. Make sure the temperature of your skin has returned to normal before re-applying, to prevent any tissue damage. Ask your doctor or physiotherapist whether heat or cold is best for you.
- Take care of your joints and save energy. Looking after your joints during your daily activities can help reduce pain, stress and tiredness. It involves simple habits such as: – avoiding activities that cause pain – asking for help when you need it – using special aids and gadgets to make tasks easier. See Fatigue and arthritis.
- Massage. There are limited scientific studies that show massage may temporarily improve pain and mobility of joints and muscles. Make sure the massage therapist has experience working with people who have arthritis. You can find a qualified therapist by contacting the Australian Association of Massage Therapists, or the Institute of Registered Myotherapists of Australia.
- Acupuncture. Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese practice of putting small, thin needles into the skin at specific points on the body to block the pain signal. There are mixed results from studies of acupuncture for arthritis. However some people may find it useful alongside other proven treatments, such as medicines. The Australian Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Association can help you find an accredited practitioner.
- Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS). A TENS machine applies very mild electric pulses to block pain messages going from the painful area to your brain. TENS can be useful for longer-term pain but does not work for all people. See a physiotherapist to trial a TENS machine, and to learn how to use it correctly, before you buy one.
- Mind techniques. A trained professional, such as a psychologist, can help you learn relaxation and pain coping skills so you can better manage your pain. Some of these techniques include:
- Relaxation: Relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, guided imagery (mental pictures) and progressive muscle relaxation, can help you reduce stress and muscle tension. These techniques need to be practised and you may have to try several methods before you find one that works for you. You may find it helpful to use recordings, CDs and book to help you learn relaxation techniques.
- Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction: This is a structured program developed at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. It helps you become aware of thoughts that may be exaggerated or unhelpful and then how to respond to them.
Arthritis causes conditions in damage to the joints, usually resulting in pain and stiffness. Arthritis can affect many different parts of the joint and nearly every joint in the body.
One main contributing factor that is present and adds to the symptoms and pain of Arthritis is inflammation. If the management of inflammation can be reduced there is the possibility that the effects may be more manageable and bearable with periods of relief.
Thank you for your support in reading this article and hopefully you have found it beneficial.
"Providing Better Health Through Knowledge"
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