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Arthritis: Pain
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Many people use the word “arthritis” to refer to all rheumatic diseases. However, the word literally means joint inflammation; that is, swelling, redness, heat, and pain caused by tissue injury or disease in the joint. The many different kinds of arthritis comprise just a portion of the rheumatic diseases. Some rheumatic diseases are described as connective tissue diseases because they affect the body’s connective tissue—the supporting framework of the body and its internal organs. Others are known as autoimmune diseases because they are caused by a problem in which the immune system harms the body’s own healthy tissues. Examples of some rheumatic diseases are provided on the next page.
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Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment are very important in managing arthritis. Physicians now believe that damage to bones begins within the first two years that a person has the disease. Early diagnosis can decrease symptoms and long-term complications. A person should see a health care professional if symptoms of pain or swelling in multiple joints on both sides of the body develop.
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Treatments for arthritis include rest and relaxation, exercise, proper diet, medication, and instruction about the proper use of joints and ways to conserve energy. Other treatments include the use of pain relief methods and assistive devices, such as splints or braces. In severe cases, surgery may be necessary. The doctor and the patient work together to develop a treatment plan that helps the patient maintain or improve his or her lifestyle. Treatment plans usually combine several types of treatment and vary depending on the rheumatic condition and the patient.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), arthritis is the nation's single greatest cause of chronic pain and disability. The CDC reports that African Americans say it is the leading condition that limits their major daily activities. African American women are twice as likely as Caucasian women to develop knee osteoarthritis, frequently in both knees and with greater severity. African American men are 65% more likely than Caucasian men to have knee osteoarthritis in both knees. Older African American men are ... 33% more likely than Caucasian men to suffer hip osteoarthritis.
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RA is a type of inflammatory arthritis. As the name implies, inflammatory types of arthritis are characterized by inflammation in joints and tendons. In inflammatory arthritis, the synovial membrane becomes swollen and inflamed, causing pain and stiffness. Chemicals released in the inflamed tissue increase blood flow to the joint, causing it to look red and feel warm to the touch. To reduce pain, patients with arthritis may favor affected joints, holding them in a fixed position. This causes the muscles surrounding the joints to stiffen and weaken and the tendons, which attach muscles to bone or to other muscles, to tighten.
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Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory multisystem autoimmune disorder. It commonly affects the joints in a polyarticular manner (polyarthritis). The symptoms that distinguish rheumatoid arthritis from other forms of arthritis are inflammation and soft-tissue swelling of many joints at the same time (polyarthritis). The joints are generally affected in a symmetrical fashion. The pain generally improves with use of the affected joints, and there is usually stiffness of all joints in the morning that lasts over 1 hour. Thus, the pain of rheumatoid arthritis is usually worse in the morning compared to the classic pain of osteoarthritis where the pain worsens over the day as the joints are used.
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