There’s a good chance you or someone you know has arthritis or a related condition. A disease of the joints, arthritis takes more than 100 different forms. It affects men, women and children alike, including 2.4 million residents of Michigan. It causes pain, expense, worry and suffering for 46 million Americans — sometimes unnecessarily.

Arthritis is many things to many people, but it’s not hopeless. With knowledge and action, arthritis can be controlled. You can take steps right now to prevent arthritis, or to reduce pain and keep moving. To learn more, choose from a link below:

What is arthritis?

Arthritis is a disease that damages the joints, or the muscles, bones, and connective tissues that surround and support the joints. Most forms of the disease are chronic, meaning that they last for a long time. Some of the most well-known forms include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, lupus and gout. For a description of some of the most common types of the disease, click here.


What are the warning signs of arthritis?
Symptoms of arthritis can develop suddenly or slowly. If you have any of these warning signs for more than two weeks, see your doctor. Early diagnosis and treatment are keys to arthritis care.

•    Joint or muscle pain
•    Swelling, stiffness, redness or heat in or around a joint
•    Difficulty moving a joint
•    Fatigue, poor appetite or fever accompanied by joint symptoms
•    Difficulty performing everyday activities like reaching, bending, walking, lifting or turning


What causes arthritis?
The cause of most types of arthritis is unknown. But researchers believe that certain factors increase our risk of some forms of the disease. Some of those factors are out of our control — like genes we inherit from our parents, or advancing age, or being female. Others are called “lifestyle factors” that we can control. For example, smoking increases the risk of rheumatoid arthritis. Joint injury increases the risk of osteoarthritis. Being overweight and inactive leads to osteoarthritis, and usually increases pain in any form of the disease.


How is arthritis detected?
Finding out whether you have arthritis, and in which form, is important. Early, accurate diagnosis can lead to effective treatment, different for each type of the disease. Prompt treatment is important to help slow or prevent damage that happens to joints early in the disease process.

Your doctor will take several steps to diagnose your arthritis, including a medical history, a hands-on physical examination, and X-rays or other laboratory tests. An accurate diagnosis may take several visits. You can help your doctor by gathering answers to the following questions before your visit:

•    Where does it hurt?
•    When does it hurt?
•    How long has it hurt?
•    What does the pain feel like? Is it burning, stabbing, achy?
•    What have you tried to relieve the pain?
•    Do you have any other symptoms (like fatigue, or stiffness, or weakness, or numbness)?
•    Have you ever injured the joint?
•    Does anyone in your family have arthritis?

Then be sure to ask your doctor the following questions:
•    Do I have arthritis?
•    What kind is it?
•    What should I expect?
•    What can I do to manage pain and avoid disability?


How is arthritis treated?
A complete treatment plan for arthritis includes several elements. The first is medication to reduce pain and swelling. Some medications are available through prescription only, while others can be purchased over-the-counter. Prescription drugs are also available to slow down the disease process and limit joint damage in people with rheumatoid arthritis.


What other tools can I use to manage arthritis?
Too many people end their treatment plan at drugs, failing to realize that medicine represents only one part of the arthritis management equation. Here are some additional strategies that can help you take control of arthritis pain and avoid disability:

• Exercise can lessen pain, increase range of movement, reduce fatigue, and help you look and feel better.

• Energy conservation — switching between periods of rest and activity — can make it easier to do daily activities.

• Assistive devices with their special features can help make everyday tasks easier.

• Joint protection — using the body wisely, practicing good posture, and controlling weight — can avoid extra stress on your joints.

• Use of heat or cold over joints or muscles may give you short-term relief from pain and stiffness and can help to prepare you for exercise.

• Complementary therapies — like dietary supplements, vitamins, massage, acupuncture, and more — may provide you with some relief of pain and stiffness.

• Self-help skills can help you build the positive attitude and focus you need to manage your arthritis symptoms.

• Surgery can help in some cases when other treatments have failed. But most people with arthritis will never need it.

For more information about management strategies for arthritis, click here.


What kind of a doctor diagnoses and treats arthritis?

If you have arthritis, your medical team may include many kinds of health care professionals, including:

• Primary care physicians, family medicine doctors, and internal medicine doctors provide general medical care. They can diagnose some forms of arthritis and refer you to specialists for others, like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus.

• Rheumatologists are specialists who diagnose and treat diseases of the joints.

• Pediatric rheumatologists diagnose and treat diseases of the joints in children.

• Orthopaedic surgeons are specially trained to perform surgeries on bones, joints and muscles.

• Physical and occupational therapists can teach you how to reduce strain on your joints, keep muscles strong, and keep joints flexible.

• Podiatrists are experts in foot care.

• Ophthalmologists help to manage the eye diseases that are common with some forms of arthritis.

• Psychiatrist, psychologists and social workers can help you manage the stress of your condition.


How can I prevent arthritis?

You can take steps to reduce your risk of certain types of arthritis, or to reduce disability if you have arthritis. These include:

•    Staying at your recommended weight
•    Keeping bones and muscles strong with regular, joint-safe exercise
•    Avoiding injury
•    Quitting smoking

How can I learn more about arthritis?

For more information about arthritis, including books and free pamphlets, contact:

Arthritis Foundation, Michigan Chapter
1050 Wilshire Dr. #302
Troy, MI  48084
248-649-2891
800-968-3030 (in Michigan)
www.arthritis.org

Mayo Clinic
www.mayoclinic.org

National Institutes of Health
National Library of Medicine
www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus