Because arthritis is a chronic disease that never quite seems to go away, even with good medical treatment, hundreds of folk remedies have grown up around it. And there are hundreds more unproven, expensive, and often outright quack treatments being offered to vulnerable arthritis sufferers by unscrupulous promoters.
Defining Arthritis
Arthritis is a general term for diseases or other abnormal processes occurring in the joints. An estimated 40 million Americans suffer from some form of arthritis.
Our joints and ligaments, like our muscles, wear with use and need to be constantly repaired—a process that normally occurs during sleep. Repair of any body part requires free access to oxygen and other nutrients. When circulation of the blood becomes inadequate, ligaments weaken, joint fluids decrease, and cartilage wears away.
Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. Almost universally present in older populations, it can also occur at any time after an injury (called traumatic arthritis). Or can occur as a result of excessive wear and tear to a joint, as often happens in football.
Osteoarthritis usually occurs when a joint’s blood supply becomes inadequate for its needed function. Just as a heart will weaken and ultimately fail when the coronary arteries clog up with plaque, so joints begin to break down when the arteries supplying them become narrowed or obstructed. For this reason, most osteoarthritis responds to measures that improve circulation, such as lowering the amount of fat in the bloodstream, regular exercise, and hydrotherapy (water treatments).
Osteoarthritis of weight-bearing joints, such as the spine, knees, and hips, is commonly aggravated by caloric overload (obesity). Just as a bridge has a load limit, so do the joints.
The most common symptoms of osteoarthritis are pain and stiffness, which tend to decrease as the joint is warmed up with activity.
Backaches and Arthritis?
Backaches afflict more than 5 million Americans every year—four out of five people will suffer from them at some time in their lives. Back problems are important because they are a leading cause of disability, missed workdays, and many lawsuits.
Surprisingly, up to 80 percent of low back sufferers are victims of overworked or under-exercised muscles. A strained muscle may suddenly go into a sustained contraction or spasm and become a hard, knotty mass signaling body distress by sharp pain. Another 10 percent of back problems may be caused by osteoarthritis or a disc problem. Only a very few who suffer from back pain have a specific serious injury.
When a backache occurs, it’s important to rule out an identifiable injury before anything else is done. Without an evident serious problem, the important thing is not to do what you feel like—retiring to a soft sofa. Keep the rest to one day after injury or onset of pain, or two at the most. At this stage ice bags are helpful, along with doctor-prescribed muscle relaxants and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications.