Our hands and wrists have a lot of small joints that work together when we move them. When a joint in these is affected by arthritis, is makes it hard for us to move the whole hand or wrist. That being mentioned, it also means that hand arthritis may occur in different and multiple areas.
While hand arthritis is commonly disregarded by many, it is America's leading condition that leads to disability. Arthritis is mostly common to people who are over the age of 40, however, it can also occur to those in their early twenties. Even the healthy ones have the possibility of suffering from hand arthritis.
Below are the symptoms of hand arthritis.
* The first symptom is a mild pain in the joint, experienced as a "dull" or "burning" feeling. The pain increases as one continues to move the affected joint. The pain becomes more and more distinguishable after a few days. The pain is mostly noticed in the mornings. The affected area shows stiffness in the mornings, too.
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These joints can no longer handle the same pressure and stress. Swellings indicate that they are being overexerted.
* The joint affected will feel warm. This is because of the inflammation inside.
* Joints near the arthritic joint may be affected, they may become move movable than normal, or they may also affected if the hand is not well taken care of.
* Crepitation, or the "grinding" kind of sensation in the joint affected may be experienced. Damaged cartilages, due to a trauma or disease, will rub against each other.
* There are also instances when the joint feels "loose". When this is experienced, it means that the arthritis is caused by damage in the ligaments.
* There are also advanced cases where the joints affected appear larger than their normal size. This condition is called hypertrophic, and is an advanced case of hand arthritis.
* Small cysts may start to develop when arthritis begins to affect the fingers' end
Also evident are molluscoid pseudotumors (fleshy lesions associated with scars) frequently found over pressure points (e.g. elbows) and subcutaneous spheroids, which are commonly mobile and palpable on the forearms and shins. Complications of joint hypermobility include sprains, dislocation are common in the shoulder, patella and temporomandibular joints Muscle hypotonia and slower gross motor development also can occur It is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner (Clarke, D., Skrocki-Czerpak, K., Neumann-Potash, L.). In the Hypermobile type of EDS, the joints of the body experience Hypermobility, which is the dominant clinical manifestation. General joint hypermobility affects large (elbows, knees) and small (fingers and toes) joints. Skin is hyperextensible, smooth/velvety, and bruising occurs easily as well.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory and an autoimmune disease that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s tissue (Rheumatoid arthritis, 2017). This disease affects the entire body, which is called a systemic (means entire body) disease. Arthritis is derived from the word part arthr-, which means “joint,” and -itis, which means “inflammation,” so altogether it means “inflammation of the joints.” It creates inflammation that causes the tissue that lines the inside of joints (synovium) to thicken. About 1.5 million people in the U.S. are affected. It affects all races, but it affects three times as many women than men (What is Rheumatoid Arthritis, n.d.). Overtime, rheumatoid arthritis causes painful swelling that can potentially result in bone erosion or joint deformity, which leads up to physical disabilities. RA can affect more than just your joints, but can spread to body systems, skin, eyes, lungs, heart, blood vessels, e.t.c (Rheumatoid arthritis, 2017).
Because symptoms are wide - ranged and studies for treatment of FMS did not begin until the 1980's, it is one of the most popularly misdiagnosed conditions in the medical world. The main symptoms are widespread pain and fatigue as well as tender points on the body. The muscular pain often may feel like a pulled muscle and may burn or twitch. (Source 3)
Zelman, D. (2014) Joint Stiffness and Rheumatoid Arthritis. Available at: http://www.webmd.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/guide/joint-stiffness-and-rheumatoid-arthritis (Accessed: 12th May 2014).
For the human body to move swiftly with deliberate and smooth actions, it makes use of synovial fluid within joints. However, rheumatoid arthritis hinders the movement of the body and cause several other debilitating factors such as pain and (near) permanent disability. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is primarily a persistent autoimmune disease which affects synovial joints of the human body. According to Emery (2006), he finds that this is a “long term . . . chronic disease that spreads from joint to joint” (p. 152). Furthermore, it is a disease which primarily assaults the body's immune system by inflaming the synovial joints. The joint tissue is damaged by inflammation of the joint lining causing pain to the patient. Aletaha et
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint condition that primarily affects the hands, spine and the ankles and hips. It is known to be associated with aging, and is concerned with the cartilage that protects the joints (the meeting place of two bones). Normal cartilage allows for bones to slide over each other uniformly, acting as a shock absorber to any damage. However cartilage in osteoarthritis, located at the ends of the bones erodes and deteriorates, causing friction and hence pain, swelling and restricted movement. Therefore in osteoarthritic both the composition and appearance of the cartilage alters, while the body attempts to repair this damaged cartilage is broken down faster than it can be built up. A defective repair process can cause bone overgrowth, bone spur/osteocytes to form which can be seen at the ends of the joints. In osteoarthritis the bones come in close contact with each other, and wear away leaving the bone exposed and unprotected.
Arthritis mainly affects people who are 18 and older, but kids are still able to get certain types of arthritis such as: Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA)
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis, affecting more than 27 million Americans (LeMone, Burke, Bauldoff, 2011). It is caused when the cartilage in the joints breaks down, causing the bones of the joint to rub against one another. This causes pain, stiffness, and loss of motion in the joint. Osteoarthritis is most prevalent in those 65 and older, but can affect those of any age. In addition, African Americans and Hispanics report a higher incidence of arthritis than Caucasians (LeMone, Burke, Bauldoff, 2011). Although the cause is unknown, it is believed that the increasing age of the population, prevalence of obesity and injuries add to the progression of the condition. Osteoarthritis can affect any joint in the body; however, those of the hand, hip, and knee are often the most common. This condition may be asymptomatic, or may present symptoms including soreness, stiffness and pain. The symptoms are more common in the older population, those with limited activity levels, and those who are obese. Joint cartilage thins over time, causing an increased risk for symptoms in the elderly, and obesity puts extra pressure on the joints during activity. Osteoarthritis is commonly diagnosed with the use of a physical assessment along with results of radiology testing such as X-Ray and MRI.
Arthritis affects people of all age groups. More than 100 types of arthritis are known. Among these osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis having the highest incidence. One of the major causes of chronic debilitation in industrialized nations is Osteoarthritis which results from damage to the joints, which may be due to trauma, infection, or age-related wear. Rheumatoid arthritis is encountered less frequently than osteoarthritis and is estimated to affect around one per cent of the world’s population. Amongst patients of Rheumatoid arthritis, women are three times more likely to be affected by this condition than men. This condition is caused by an inflammatory process where the body starts attacking itself. Rheumatoid arthritis also affects several joints, with inflammation sometimes seen in and around the lungs, the heart, the eyes and the skin. The most commonly reported complaint by arthritis patients is pain. The pain might be from the joint itself and be a result of inflammation, damage from the disease, or through daily wear and tear. Muscle pain is also common and is caused by having to force movements against stiff and painful joints. Although range of movement in the affected joint may be limited and uncomfortable, physical exercise has been shown to benefit those with arthritis. Physical therapy has been shown to significantly improve function, decrease pain in the long term and delay the need for surgery in advanced cases. The majority of arthritis cases occur among theelderly, however the disease can occur in children as well. Over 70% of the population that get affected by arthritis in North America are over the age of 65 (4). The disease occurs more commonly in females than males in all races, age groups, and ethn...
It is still unknown what the cause of Rheumatoid Arthritis is but there are some theories that have not been proven. The oldest theory states that viruses and bacteria are the cause of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Now with all the research being done, scientists believe that Rheumatoid Arthritis is hereditary. Specific genes have been found to make people more likely to get Rheumatoid Arthritis. Some scientists also think that some environmental factors and infections might cause the immune system to attack. Contributing factors are smoking and being exposed to silica metal. So although the exact causes are unknown, the result is that the immune system is ready to make the joins and tissues inflamed by activating immune cells.
Balta, D. M. D. (2009). The TMJ: How can Such a Small Joint Cause so Much Trouble?, [Online]. Available: http://www.drbalta.com/tmj.htm [11/12/14].
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease, in other words it is a joint disease where the joint deteriorates and is often irreversible. Osteoarthritis is often the most common form of arthritis and there is no existing cure. This form of arthritis could affect people of all ages, however tends to affect people over the age of sixty-five. According to a study done by the Arthritis Foundation, one in every two adults will develop signs of knee osteoarthritis within their lifetime, one in four adults will show signs of hip osteoarthritis by age eighty-five, and one in twelve people over the age of sixty have hand osteoarthritis. (What is Osteoarthritis?) Although osteoarthritis can not be cured there are still ways to treat it.
Almost everyone develops osteoarthrits as they age, some get it while in their fifties and in others it does not appear until their eighties. Osteoarthritis is the most common form that affects older people; this form of the disease wears down the cartilage mostly through overuse and injury but there are other causes. This specific form of the disease causes the cartilage to break down and the bones to rub against each other. Deformity and swelling occurs because knobs of hardened bits of cartilage develop in the joint. It forms especially if a joint has been injured many times.
Arthritis disease is inflammation in different parts of your joints. Some common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Most of the common symptoms are found in your joints. These symptoms are pain, stiffness, swelling, redness, and decreased range of motion. Osteoarthritis causes cartilage to break down. This disease tears and damages your joints cartilage. Your cartilage is the hard, slick coating on the ends of your bones. I can get severe enough to where your bones start to grind together, which causes pain and restricted movement. This can be caused by an infection or joint injury. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that targets the synovium. This disease occurs when the body’s immune system attacks