An Overview Of Foot Arthritis

Foot arthritis is most commonly an occurrence of osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is arthritis of the bone. It is due to common wear and tear which results in inflammation, swelling and pain. Many times foot arthritis is caused by injury to the foot. Foot arthritis can lead to problems walking once it gets to bad.

Foot arthritis can occur in any of the bones within the foot. It often affects certain bones. The ankle is very susceptible to injury and therefore a common spot for arthritis. The three bones in the heel of the foot are also commonly affected by arthritis. The middle area of the foot where the bones and the toes and the rear bones in the foot connect is another hot spot. Finally, the toes are often a spot for arthritis to settle in.

Symptoms of foot arthritis are often hard to ignore. They can include pain when moving the foot or putting weight on the foot. The foot may also feel stiff or show signs of swelling.

A doctor will often diagnose foot arthritis through asking questions and through a gait analysis. The doctor may ask about when the pain started, if you have ever injured your foot, where the pain is located and what type of shoes you normally wear. The gait analysis is simply an observance of how you walk. It may also include x-rays or a bone scan.

Foot arthritis is treated depending on the severity. Common treatment includes taking medications for pain and swelling, using shoe inserts or wearing a brace. You may also have to use a cane to help you walk. Therapy may also be a treatment used. With sever arthritis surgery is often recommended.

Surgical options include removing bone and tissue to help alleviate the pain. There are many methods including arthroscopic surgery and also replacement surgery if the arthritis is in a joint. Surgery, though, is often the last resort ot other treatment options.

Foot arthritis can be quite debilitating. Sometimes there is no way to cure the arthritis. You may only be able to control the swelling and pain. However, many people suffer from arthritis and they can usually go on living a normal life.

You should not let your foot arthritis stop you from living a healthy lifestyle. By seeking treatment and getting help you are making sure that you control your foot arthritis and it does no control you.

What is Rheumatoid Arthritis ?

Arthritis is the term used for over 100 rheumatoid and joint related diseases, with the most common being Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis.

The word arthritis refers to “joint inflammation” and rheumatoid arthritis is actually an attack on the immune system where the system turns on itself and attacks the joints.

Rheumatoid arthritis causes joint pain and swelling, redness, warmth and can affect other organs of the body like skin, eyes, lungs, heart, blood, nerves or kidneys. Rheumatoid arthritis affects approximately 1% of the population, in which 75% of those diagnosed are women. The exact cause of rheumatoid arthritis is unknown, but scientists attribute this disease to a combination of genetic, environmental and hormonal factors. With rheumatoid arthritis, something seems to trigger the immune system to attack itself. This could happen after a sudden trauma or a surgery, and the severity is not the same in all people. Some theories suggest that a virus or bacteria alter the immune system. Therefore, since the root cause of rheumatoid arthritis is so different from osteoarthritis, of course the treatment and remedies are different also.

Rheumatoid arthritis is diagnosed by a positive Rh factor, (a blood test), and x-rays that show rheumatoid deterioration in the joints. There are many different ways to treat rheumatoid arthritis, which include medication, rest, exercise and surgery. The medications fall into two specific categories, NSAIDs and DMARDs, and attempt to reduce the pain, swelling and inflammation. Humira, one of the latest discoveries, attempts to isolate the diseased cells so they cannot reproduce and cause more harm.

In the past 10 years, alternative medicine has also taken a predominant place in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Some of these non-prescription methods include:

• ibuprofen

• herbs such as cat's claw and white willow to reduce pain

• glucosamine and chondriton are used to promote new cartilage growth

• warm baths in Epsom Salts

• application of menthol ointment to the affected joints

Rheumatoid arthritis is not to be taken lightly or ignored, so investigate the treatments and choose the best for yourself.

Learn more about arthritis and what you can do to treat it: go to Arthritis Relief and Prevention

You Can Help Eliminate Arthritis

Are you aware that today over 66 million people have arthritis or chronic joint pain? On average, that is approximately one in three people that are suffering from arthritis at this moment. That is almost as large as the population of Virginia...times 10!

Do you think the chronic joint pain caused by arthritis is reserved for the elderly? It isn't limited to those that are older. Arthritis affects all ages. There are nearly 300,000 children in America with some form of arthritis or rheumatic disease.

If you happen to be one of the fortunate who is not currently suffering from arthritis, don't think it is not affecting you. Arthritis costs the U.S. economy $86.2 billion annually. That is not a mistake. The cost to our country is in the billions of dollars each year.

I know several people whose lives are impacted by arthritis and related diseases. My wife is one of those. Kim continually experiences joint pain due to arthritis and lupus. She takes medications daily and frequently visits doctors and physical therapists to cope with the hurting. Surgeries have also taken place in the past.

Do you know someone with arthritis? You might be surprised at what he or she has to go through to deal with the hurting. You might also be surprised at the limits it places on daily living.

I decided to make a difference. I became a volunteer for the Arthritis Foundation. They are the only national not-for-profit organization that supports the more than 100 types of arthritis and related conditions with advocacy, programs, services and research. They partner with organizations to offer exercise programs and courses specifically for those affected by arthritis. They offer these programs in my own hometown of Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Each year the Arthritis Foundation holds walks across the country to raise funds and awareness. My team, the Pain Killers, participated in the Fredericksburg Arthritis Walk this past May. We helped raise more than $33,000.00 in Fredericksburg for the Arthritis Foundation. I now have the honor of being selected as the chairperson for the 2006 Fredericksburg Arthritis Walk.

I encourage you to honor that person you know with arthritis by helping with the Arthritis Walk in your area. Get your friends and coworkers involved as well. There are many ways to get involved. You will make new friends and have fun while working to eliminate the #1 cause of disability.

To learn more about arthritis and to find an Arthritis Walk in your area go to http://www.arthritis.org or call 404-872-7100. To join or donate to Team Pain Killers go to http://arthritiswalkfredericksburg.kintera.org/faf/r.asp?t=12&i=150101&g=1161782. Roger Carr is the founder of Everyday Giving (http://www.everydaygiving.com) and a volunteer with the Arthritis Foundation, Virginia Chapter.

Arthritis Information & Supplements That May Help

There are number of abnormalities associated with bones and joints. Some are caused due to injuries and some are attributable to harmful reactions of bacteria, viruses etc. Swelling and stiffness of joints accompanied with joint inflammation are the main features of arthritis. Generally, almost all types of arthritis are chronic in nature owing to prolonged arthritis condition. Arthritis can affect almost all parts of the body. The pain and swelling produced by certain types of arthritis is temporary in nature. Some forms of arthritis may surface conditions like warmth, redness and swelling of joints. Though the some symptoms produced by certain forms of arthritis are less serious in nature, these can lead to gradual damage of joints.

Usually, arthritis is classified in following categories.

Osteoarthritis: It is considered as one of the most common health condition in older people. Wearing away and ragging of cartilage is the main cause behind occurrence of this type of osteoarthritis. Stiffness of joints and mild pain are main symptoms of osteoarthritis.

Rheumatoid Arthritis: Rheumatoid arthritis is autoimmune in nature. This form of arthritis is result of body immune system on the joint lining as if the body immune system is combating and injury of a disease. Besides affecting joints, this form of arthritis may attack other body parts like heart, muscles, nervous system, blood vessels and eyes.

Gout: Gout is the most painful form of arthritis. Accumulation of uric acid is considered as main cause behind occurrence of this type of arthritis. Besides affecting various joints, gout can lead to swollen skin.

Apart from the above, Ankylosing spondylysis, Reactive arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and temporomandibular joint arthritis are some uncommon forms of arthritis.

Symptoms of arthritis include stiffness, swelling and prolonged pain of joints, feeling of tenderness or pain (after touching), warmth and redness of joints and abnormality in joint movements.

Generally, medications and steroid injections are used for treating arthritis. In certain severe cases, surgery may be recommended. The main aim of arthritis treatment is to reduce the pain and inflammation. Combination of NSAIDs (Non-Steroid Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) and DMARDs (Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs) are used commonly.

Intake of nutritious diet (that has adequate quantity of minerals, vitamins etc), use of certain dietary supplements such as colloidal silver and colloidal gold and regular physical exercises (specifically recommended for arthritis patients) can help in reducing pain. However, dietary supplements are used for enhancing the body immune system and preventing development of bacteria, viruses etc, and should not be considered as medication for arthritis.

Peter Salazar's source for quality supplements is http://www.utopiasilver.com

To read more information and remedies go here: http://utopiasilver.com/testimonials/arthritis.htm

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