Other types of arthritis Archive

Understanding risk and modifying your activities can cushion your joints from damage.

 Image: © FatCamera/Getty Images

Joints are a little bit like couch cushions. Over time, the padding between your bones, called cartilage, gets worn out and flattens down — a condition known as osteoarthritis. Unfortunately, dealing with worn joints is not as simple as fixing or replacing a couch. And whether your joints wear out may not be entirely in your control.

"Unfortunately, a lot of your risk depends on your genes," says Dr. Scott Martin, an orthopedic surgeon and associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Harvard Medical School. "If you have a history of arthritis in your family, you may get arthritis in your lifetime. That's one factor you can't control." Dr. Martin is the faculty editor for the Harvard Special Health Report Knees and Hips (www.health.harvard.edu/knees).

Arthritis is a painful problem that can interfere with your ability to do the things you enjoy. But you can take steps to manage arthritis by protecting your joints, reducing discomfort, and improving mobility.

Physical or occupational therapists can be very helpful in teaching you how to modify activities and accomplish daily tasks more easily in order to manage arthritis. But there are simple things you can do for yourself, starting today. Here are five of them:

Physical therapy may be an effective alternative to surgery in relieving joint and back pain.

 Image: © Hemera Technologies/Thinkstock

Exercising may be the last thing you want to do when you have a sore knee or aching back, but it might be the first thing you should do. Physical therapy has long been recommended following surgery. But for some, trying physical therapy before opting for surgery may be the better choice.

"You may be able to spare yourself the expense, pain, and recovery time of surgery," says physical therapist Karen Weber, clinical supervisor at Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Outpatient Centers in Braintree and Quincy, Mass.

In the journals

Corticosteroid injections are used to ease short-term knee osteoarthritis pain, but a new study in the May 16, 2017, Journal of the American Medical Association suggests the treatment may not help in the long term.

Researchers recruited two groups of 70 people, average age 58, with knee osteoarthritis. One group received 40 milligrams of the steroid triamcinolone (Kenacort, Kenalog, Artistocort) every three months for two years, while the other group got placebo injections. By the end, pain scores — measured on a scale from zero for no pain to 20 for extreme pain — had dropped by only 1.2 points among the steroid group, while the placebo group's score dropped by 1.9 points, neither of which was clinically significant.

Aches or numbness may keep you from doing the things you love. Find out what's behind your pain, and do something about it.

Hand pain becomes common as we get older. Tingling and numbness, aching or locking joints, and difficulty grasping objects are frequent complaints. But don't make your own diagnosis and suffer in silence. "It's difficult to discern between different types of hand pain. Some have overlapping symptoms," says Dr. Sang-Gil Lee, a hand surgeon at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

Dr. Lee advises that you seek treatment as soon as possible for persistent hand pain, before it gets so advanced that it's tough to use your hands for even the simplest jobs, like brushing your teeth or buttoning a shirt.

Men considering surgery for back pain relief may benefit from more conventional treatment methods.

Back pain remains one of the top reasons people seek medical care for pain. For many older men, the source of their pain is spinal osteoarthritis.

Finding relief is an ongoing struggle, but men should think hard before turning to surgery without first trying less invasive treatments. "No one ever goes from initial back pain to needing surgery, unless the pain is due to something like cancer or an infection," says Dr. Steven Atlas, an internist with Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital. "You can't fix arthritis. Surgery may help control the pain in some cases, so you can function better, but it won't cure your pain — no matter what doctors may promise."

This common type of arthritis can show up suddenly and cause debilitating pain.

 Image: © ThamKC/Thinkstock

The great artists Ludwig van Beethoven, Luciano Pavarotti, and Leonardo da Vinci had more than extraordinary talent in common; they were also sufferers of a type of inflammatory arthritis called gout. You may be at risk of joining their ranks if you have any potential triggers for the condition. "Most people are surprised by their initial gout diagnosis, unless they have a strong family history," says Dr. Mark Fisher, a rheumatologist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

About gout

Gout is mostly a man's condition, although women can experience it, too. It's caused by a buildup of uric acid — a waste product from the breakdown of natural chemicals called purines (an essential part of DNA).