Arthritis

Safee-Ullah.Babar
What is Arthritis
Arthritis is a any condition where joints are inflamed. This condition is an chronic
diseases which means it cannot be cured. However, it can be treated but this
treatment is only temporary. There are three types of arthritis:

● Rheumatoid arthritis
● Osteoarthritis
● Gouty arthritis (Gout)
 Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is when the body attacks its own cells. This is know as auto
emyomity. This condition causes the joint lining and cartilage to swell which leads
to pain and swelling at the joints. The swelling leads to the deformation of the joint
and immobilizes it. This condition can happen to anyone. The treatment suggested
for this Rheumatoid Arthritis is to use Anti-Inflammatory pills which decreases the
size of the inflammation.

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 Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis happens because the cartilage is damaged. This is due to wear and
tear. In the condition the cartilage is worn away and the bone grind on bones
causes extreme amount of pain. This can happen in any age but happens more in
people who are 50 and above. The treatment for this condition is to use ibuerofen
to numb the pain regularly.

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 Gouty Arthritis
Gouty Arthritis is caused because of excess amount of uric acid in the blood which
then form crystals of sodium urate. Gouty Arthritis causes the joints of extermitives
to disposition. This type of arthritis happens commonly in older man and can also
lead to blindness if this condition is left untreated. The treatment for this condition
is to take medication for anti-inflammatory and to stay calm. You could also use
painkillers to numb the pain but this has to be taken regularly.

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Treatment: hospital
It is important to make sure that you can don't rush to the hospital straight away.
Before visiting the hospital, ask yourself the following questions:

● Is the pain really bad?

● Can you move the area where you are hurt?
● Can you put on form of weight on the injured area?

If you answered yes to all the following questions then, yes you should go to the
hospital. If you have answered no to any of the questions then you should the
PRICE method.
Treatment: PRICE
Using the PRICE method can be very easy to follow but also very beneficial. The
PRICE method consists of:

● Protection- You should protect the injured area. This can be done by many
different methods but the most common is to use bandages.
● Rest- Rest is important as it allows your body to recover the damage.
● Ice- You should use ice to reduce the swelling.
● Compression- Compressing the area is very important because it also
reduces swelling. Using ice to compress is a very good idea as both methods
reduce swelling.
● Elevation- By elevation, I mean is for you to keep the injured area above your
heart line. An example of this would be to raise the leg over chest if the injury
Sprain, strains and fracture.
It is important to know the difference between sprain, strain and fracture. Here are
the differences and the location of injury:

● Sprain- Damage to ligaments- This is when the ligaments are stretched,

twisted or torn. This can be result of excessive force applied to the ligament.
The common location for a sprain would be the knees, thumbs and ankles
● Strains- Damage to muscle- This is when muscle fibre stretch or tear. This
happens when the muscle fibers are contracted to quickly.
● Fracture- Damage to bones- This is when there is direct damage to bones
due to sudden impact or excessive force applied to the bones.
Treatment for sprain, strain and fracture
Treatment for sprain, strain and fracture is very different to treatment for arthritis.
The first step is always to check and ask yourself the following:

● Is the pain really bad?

● Can you moved the injured area?
● Can you apply any weight on the injured area?

If you answered yes to all of these then you should go to the hospital. However if
you answered no to any of the following then you should use a method called
HARM.
HARM
HARM is very important to understand as it tells you what to do and what not to do
when you have an sprain, strain or a fracture. HARM stands for:

● Heat- Heat can make the swelling worse and can cause more pain.
● Alcohol- You should not drink alcohol for the first 72 hours as alcohol
increases bleeding and therefor swelling.
● Running- Any form of exercise can be bad as it releases heat therefore can
make the swelling worse.
● Massages- Massages can also increase swelling so it is best you stay away
from them.