How do you know if you have Arthritis

1. How do you know if you have Arthritis? By Kristin Wallace

2. Arthritis Definition: joint inflammation which causes pain, stiffness, and swelling in the joints, such as the fingers, neck, back, hips, and knees.  Used to describe more than 100 rheumatic diseases and conditions Arthritis can become a disabling and even crippling disease. 1 in 7 Americans have a form of Arthritis

3. Types of Arthritis Osteoarthritis -the most common form of arthritis, is swelling of the joints caused by the wearing down of joint tissue and cartilage.

4. Risk Factors Non-Preventable - Age: Risk of getting any type of Arthritis increases with age - Gender: More common in women, and Gout Is more common in men. - Genetic: Rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematous are more common in our genes. Preventable - Obesity: Extra body fat can increase the development of knee arthritis. - Joint Injuries: Injury or damage to a joint can cause the progress of osteoarthritis of that particular joint where the injury occurred. -Infection: bacteria which can infect joints and potentially cause any type of arthritis. - Occupation: Jobs involving knee bending could result in osteoarthritis of the knee.

5. Percentage of Adults with Arthritis(2003)

6. Treatments Medications: acetaminophen and use of anti-inflammatory drugs Cortisone Injections Physical Therapy: movement lubricates the joints, so you need to keep moving. Non-weight bearing activities are best like cycling or swimming as they place less stress on the joints. Surgery: Most severe cases, joint replacement surgery is often recommended Low impact aquatic therapy decreases joint stress considerably. Natural Remedies

7. Signs and Symptoms Pain Swelling Redness Limitation of motion Early morning Stiffness Warmth in Joint Unexplained Fever Low energy and fatigue Cracking sounds when moving joints Increased pain when weather changes

8. Facts on Arthritis Women are almost twice as likely as men to have a medical condition of arthritis. The disease becomes more common for people after the age of 45. Although, it is not a disease completely consisting of the older people, on the other hand, more than 300,000 children are also affected. It's the leading cause of absence of work. Consequently, more than 45 million work days are lost each year. The approximate yearly cost in lost work wages and medical bills is $65 billion, which is second to the amount of costs due to heart disease. Each year the amount of visits for a Arthritis patient is about eight. The estimated �self-diagnosed� and improperly �self �treated� is about 6 million people.

9. Types of Joints

10. Just 3 Easy Steps to Help Your Arthritis Step 1: Get a Diagnosis