What is Arthritis?
Arthritis is a disease of the joints. It is a medical condition that affects the joints in the body, causing inflammation, pain, and stiffness. Arthritis is a common disease that can affect people of all age groups. More often, it is seen in women than men. This condition is characterized by swelling, stiffness, pain, and reduced range of motion in joints. These symptoms are not permanent. They come and go and can range from mild to severe. Older people are more prone to this disease. Arthritis may worsen over time, causing difficulty in carrying out routine functions like climbing stairs or walking. A variety of factors, including genetics, injury, infection, and lifestyle factors such as obesity or a sedentary lifestyle, can cause it. Symptoms of arthritis can include joint pain, stiffness, swelling, and decreased range of motion, among others. At HPFY, you will get a wide range of arthritis supplies for pain management solutions, joint support, or daily living aids.
What are Common Types of Arthritis?
There are many different types of arthritis; some of the major ones are explained below:
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Osteoarthritis
It is the most common type of arthritis that causes the protective cartilage of the joint to break down, hampering the movement of the affected joint. This condition may cause bones to rub against each other directly, causing chronic pain. Pain may also be due to the wearing out of other joint parts like the bone, synovium, and ligaments. Pain intensity varies from person to person, and the amount of damage caused.
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Rheumatoid Arthritis
It is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the joints and other organs. Normally, the immune system works to protect the body from outside entities like bacteria and viruses. Still, in the case of autoimmune disorders like Rheumatoid Arthritis, it becomes overactive and starts attacking healthy tissue. The main damage is caused by the synovium (lining of the joints). Persistent inflammation may cause the synovium to break down over time, causing permanent damage.
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Psoriatic Arthritis
In psoriatic arthritis, the immune system of the body attacks it, resulting in pain and inflammation. It causes arthritis by affecting the joints, enthesitis by affecting the connective tissue, and psoriasis by affecting the skin.
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Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a central pain syndrome wherein the pain signals are processed differently by the brain and spinal cord. Touch or movements that are not painful to others might be a source of pain for you, and movements that are painful to others might hurt you even more. It causes widespread pain, sleep problems, fatigue, and concentration issues.
Treatment for Arthritis
Arthritis can be treated using three major ways:
- Medications – There are a number of different medications and arthritis supplies available depending on the type of arthritis affecting the individual. These medications mostly help in reducing pain & inflammation and enhancing the strength of the joints.
- Therapy – Therapy is one of the most commonly used treatments to treat and rehabilitate the symptoms of arthritis. There are a number of therapies, such as hot and cold therapy, compression therapy, exercise therapy, electrotherapy, etc.
- Surgery – Surgery is the last resort when none of the other treatment options are useful, and the condition has worsened. One should always consider non-invasive treatment options at first, and if you opt for a surgical treatment option, consult your doctor before taking any step.
Rehabilitation of Arthritis
In some cases, arthritis can cause permanent changes in a person's joints, which can be seen in an X-ray test. Arthritis may also affect other organs in the body, like the heart, eyes, lungs, or kidneys. Arthritis cannot be cured, but it can be controlled. Measures can be taken to preserve bone and joint function and mobility by providing rehabilitation and comfort to the condition.
- Weight Management – Excess weight can add stress to the joints and thus cause pain and discomfort to the joints affected by arthritis. Maintaining a healthy weight is essential for overall bone health, which also helps in reducing the discomfort of arthritis.
- Hot and Cold Therapy - Hot and cold therapy is helpful in reducing inflammation. It reaches deep down into the muscles and also enhances blood circulation. A healthy circulation of blood reduces inflammation and allows for a greater alleviation of pain. Products for arthritis like Thermophore Classic Moist Heat Pack can be used to ease the pain and improve circulation.
- Orthopedic Splints - orthopedic products are designed to immobilize joints and prevent any injuries due to sudden contact or injuries. They prevent the degeneration of joints and also prevent injuries to the muscles. Made of durable and comfortable material, these splints are apt to rehabilitate a joint affected by arthritis efficiently.
- Topical Analgesics - Topical treatments like gels, lotions, and creams can also be used to reduce pain and inflammation. They penetrate cleanly into the skin and act on the muscles in an instant, alleviating pain
- Knee Braces - For knee pain, which is very common in arthritis, knee supports can help immobilize the affected knee along with some compression until the pain subsides. They can also support the knee and reduce the stress and strain that falls on the knee.
Best Arthritis Products for Arthritic Hands
There are a number of different Arthritis Aids one can use to reduce the difficulty of executing actions that might become difficult due to arthritis:
- Dining Aids – Adaptive dining aids such as bendable utensils, comfort grip utensils, rocker knives, cutting boards, adaptive plates for the elderly, weighted utensils, and dishes, etc., can ease the process of eating food while dealing with arthritis.
- Drinking Aids – Drinking cups for the elderly, such as adaptive mugs, weighted cups and mugs, nosey cups, maddak cups, etc., help in easing drinking by reducing spilling.
- Dressing Aids – While handling arthritis, one has to deal with a lot of issues with dressing as it involves a lot of dexterous tasks to execute. Adaptive dressing aids such as dressing sticks, reachers, zipper helpers for the elderly, sock aids, shoe horns, easy tying laces, etc.
- Writing Aids – Writing is one of the most difficult and painful activities for a person who suffers from arthritis of any joint in the arm. Adaptive writing aids such as gliders, pen grips, writing instruments, etc., can assist a person while writing and also reduce discomfort.
- Household Aids – A person suffering from arthritis might face a number of problems while executing daily activities in the house, so Home aids for seniors, such as gripping tools, bottle openers, daily care kits, bathroom safety products, adaptive holders, scissors, etc.
Where to Buy Arthritis Supplies Online?
At HPFY, we offer encapsulated arthritis products and supplies that make routine tasks easier for people with arthritis. Buy high-quality arthritis aids from the best manufacturers, such as BSN Medical, Patterson Medical, Battle Creek, and many more.
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FAQ's
Frequently asked questions
Arthritis is a disease that causes pain and stiffness in and around the affected joint or joints. Some types of arthritis also affect the immune system and some internal organs of the body.
The two types of arthritis include osteoarthritis (related to wear and tear of cartilage ) and rheumatoid arthritis ( associated with inflammation resulting from an overactive immune system).
You can manage osteoarthritis by:
- balancing activity with rest
- hot and cold therapies
- regular physical activity
- maintaining a healthy weight
- strengthening the muscles around the joint for added support
- using assistive devices
- taking over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers or anti-inflammatory medicines
- avoiding excessive repetitive movements
- Family history. Arthritis sometimes are heriditary, so you may develop arthritis if your parents or siblings have the disease.
- Age. The risk of arthritis — including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gout — increases with age.
- Your sex. Women are more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than men, while most of the people with gout are men.
- Previous joint injury. People with a joint injury are more likely to eventually develop arthritis in that joint.
- Obesity. Obese people are at a higher risk of developing arthritis as carrying those extra pounds puts stress on joints, like your knees, hips and spine.
HPFY offers a wide range of products to help with arthritis related problems like hot packs, splints, braces, kitchen equipment, pain relieving gels, creams, sprays and roll ons, etc.