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What is Joint pain and arthritis?
Arthritis is a major cause of disability and handicap in Australia affecting people of all ages and walks of life. Arthritis is not a single condition. Arthritis literally means inflammation of the joint.
There are over 150 kinds of arthritis, all of which affect one or more joints in the body. The most common types of arthritis are:
- (OA) Osteoarthritis
- (RA) Rheumatoid arthritis
- Fibromyalgia
- Lupus
- Septic arthritis
- (JIA) Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
- Gout, which account for 90% of all arthritis cases.
One in one thousand children are diagnosed with juvenile arthritis, while it is estimated that three in every thousand children live with the condition but remained undiagnosed.
Arthritis is often misinterpreted as simply a disease which affects elderly people, when in fact 60% of those who are diagnosed with arthritis are between the ages of 15 – 60 years.
Arthritis affects 3.4 million Australians, 16.7% of the population. Of the proportion of Australians affected, 60.4% are women. 60% of all people living with arthritis are of working age.
What are the types of Arthritis?
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Gout
- Ankylosing Spondylitis
- Systemic Lupus Erythematous (Lupous)
- Scleroderma
- Fibromyalgia
How to prevent arthritis?
As the specific causes of the different types of arthritis remains unclear, it is difficult to say what may assist in the prevention of the development of arthritis. However, listed below are a few steps which may be beneficial in reducing the effects of arthritis.
- Maintain appropriate weight.
- Protect joints from ioveruse and injuries.
- Regularly exercise to maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints. Obviously, regular Physiotherapy care is of benefit too, ensuring optimal spinal/joint range of movement and flexibility.
- Eat a healthy diet as nutrients are vital for joint health.
- Hydrate your body. Water makes up 70 percent of the cartilage in joints and plays a major role in the lubrication and shock absorbing properties of healthy joints.