Arthritis is the inflammation of joints. Human bodies have joints in many places, from the joints on the ankles, knees, and hips, to the joints on the spine, neck, and fingers. If you are experiencing pain in your joints, you have arthritis. Even though arthritis is a pain in the joints, it can affect your entire. Depending on where you are experiencing pain, swelling, redness, and burning sensation, arthritis symptoms vary.
Irrespective of where you are experiencing inflammation, most of the arthritis symptoms could be similar, yet there might also be some differences. If you are experiencing inflammation of joints, this article will help you identify some of the arthritis symptoms.
Different Types of Arthritis
Ankylosing Spondylitis
Also called Marie-Strumpell disease and rheumatoid spondylitis, Ankylosing spondylitis is the arthritis of the spine. When you have ankylosing spondylitis, you will experience pain and inflammation in multiple organs. Ankylosing spondylitis affects the gastrointestinal tract, heart, lungs, eyes, and skin.
The common symptoms of Ankylosing spondylitis arthritis are:
- Stiffness and pain in the low back and hip
- Pain in the ankles, knees, shoulders, and neck
- Difficulty in expanding the chest
- Low fever
- Weakness
- Weight loss
Bursitis arthritis
Bursitis is the inflammation of a bursa, a small fluid-filled sac located at the joints. Bursitis causes inflammation and pain mostly in the shoulder, however, it might also affect the elbow, hip, knee, heel, or big toe. Bursitis is common among athletes, footballers, golfers, or baseball players. Bursitis also affects people who have poor posture or are out of shape. This kind of arthritis becomes worse when you use your joints more.
The common symptoms of Bursitis are:
- Stiffness and pain in the joints
- Joints are swollen
- Joints are heated
Juvenile arthritis
When young children experience pain and inflammation in the joints, it is juvenile arthritis. The children suffering from juvenile arthritis may never complain about the pain and inflammation because the symptoms come and go. You will never spot juvenile arthritis in children until you see the child avoiding physical activity, acting unusually clumsy, or limping.
The symptoms of juvenile arthritis are the same as arthritis in adults, for example
- Pain in the joints
- Swelling of the joints
- Stiffness in the joints
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a condition where joint cartilage will break. This kind of arthritis occurs in people past middle age. Osteoarthritis is also called degenerative arthritis or degenerative joint disease as it is common in old people.
Osteoarthritis is a result of long-term use of organs (this is the main reason why Osteoarthritis occurs in old people). This type of arthritis can be identified through an x-ray. The x-ray of people experiencing Osteoarthritis will show the deterioration in the cartilage. Osteoarthritis can never be cured; however, the pain might go away over time if you continue to massage your joints or give hot or cold packs.
Depending on where you experience pain and inflammation, the symptoms of Osteoarthritis may vary, however, the most common are:
- Pain and swelling on joints on different parts of the body
- Difficulty in walking or moving
Gout
Gout is a painful inflammation on the big toe and foot. The defect in the uric acid metabolism will cause acid and its salts to be deposited in the blood and joints. This is the primary cause of Gout, which is also referred to as gouty arthritis or urarthritis. It affects wrists, knees, and ankles. The symptoms of gout might take many years to appear. In the absence of immediate treatment, uric acid may form crystals, which may destroy the bones.
The major symptoms of gout arthritis are :
- Intense pain in the joints
- Pain in the big toe
- Redness, swelling, and heat in the joints and toes
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease. It can destroy the entire components of the joint. This type of arthritis occurs when a virus attacks the synovium (a thin membrane in the freely moving joints) through the immune system. The virus attack releases cytokines (a certain type of protein molecules secreted by cells of the immune system), which stimulates inflammation.
Rheumatoid arthritis occurs when the immune system becomes overactive. Initially, the symptoms may come and go, however, in the long run, it becomes more frequent and gets worse.
The common rheumatoid symptoms are:
- Minor stiffness
- Mild pain
- inflammation of the joints
- marked deformities
How to Ease Arthritis Pain
It is very common to feel pain and burning sensations in the joints like knees, elbow, wrist, etc. However, when the inflammation is recurring and severe, it might be a sign of Arthritis. Arthritis is a health condition, very common in old people, where they experience severe pain and burning sensation in their joints. Young people might also have arthritis issues. Arthritis of old age does not have absolute treatment, however, arthritis of young age is concerned, you can undergo medical treatment, however, only medical treatment is not enough, you also need to make changes in your diet by eating foods that ease the pain and avoiding foods that make your pain worse.
The foods you eat affect how your body functions. Nutrients rich food not only makes you fit but also help you battle various diseases and health complication. If you have arthritis and are battling with severe pain in the joints, include the following foods in your daily diet and combat arthritis pain. When you begin to eat these superfoods, you will be able to prevent the pain of arthritis.
Superfoods that benefits arthritis patients
Salmon
Salmon is rich in healthy fats. Unlike the popularly held belief that fat is not good for your health, your brain and body need fat to function properly. Salmon is one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids, folate, vitamin D, and calcium. Calcium and Vitamin D strengthen your bones. Since arthritis is inflammation of joints, eating salmon will ease your pain. Folate helps to strengthen your tissues. Salmon prevents blood clots, repairs artery damage, maintains good cholesterol, and lowers blood pressure, thus helping in the cardiovascular system.
Banana
Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, and Folate are highly beneficial in arthritis. Banana is rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, and Folate. Banana is packed with potassium and soluble fiber. Potassium makes your bones strong and fiber increases the intestine’s nutrient absorbing capacity. Apart from helping you to ease arthritis pain, banana also helps you to lose weight. Bananas help you in weight loss by stopping your cravings for food. You will feel full after eating a banana and you do not have to consume a large number of calories.
Capsicum
Vitamin C is highly beneficial in combating arthritis pain. Citrus fruits are rich in vitamins; however, if you are allergic to citrus fruits or cannot take citrus fruits because of gastrointestinal disorders, you can opt for capsicum. One large-sized green capsicum can provide you with 17 percent of your daily requirement for vitamin C. Red and yellow varieties of capsicum have more vitamin C than the green variety. Actually, you get more vitamin C from peppers than from oranges, lime, and lemon. Apart from vitamin C, B vitamins like Vitamin B6 and B9 are also present in pepper. Arthritis pain can be eased by eating foods with more vitamin B.
Shrimp
Sometimes deficiency of Vitamin D also causes pain. You can take a blood test to see whether you have required D vitamins or you are deficient in D vitamins. Your skin manufactures D vitamins when it comes in contact with the sun. Unlike other vitamins, Vitamin D is not easily found in food sources, only a handful of food contains vitamin D, shrimp, and milk for example. Shrimp has more vitamin D than milk. You can get about 30 percent of the daily requirement of vitamin D from three ounces of shrimp, which is more than you get from a cup of milk. Shrimp is also rich in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin C, vitamin b12, and iron. The nutrients present in Shrimp eases arthritis pain.
Cheese
Cheese is a calcium and protein-rich food. Calcium is very important for building your bones and making your bones stronger. Likewise, protein builds tissues, which makes your muscles, and other organs. When you are suffering from arthritis pain, you need more calcium and protein. Include cheese in your daily diet to ease arthritis pain.
Green tea
Green tea is rich with antioxidants. Polyphenols, one of the antioxidants found in green tea helps in the prevention and treatment of various diseases from heart disease to cancers. There have been numerous clinical studies that also suggest that green tea is beneficial in preventing or easing the pain of rheumatoid arthritis.
Conclusion
Arthritis can be treated when they are identified in the early stages. Contact a doctor when you are beginning to experience inflammation on the joints on various parts of the body.