For people suffering with inflammatory arthritis, life can be quite challenging. Waking up every day with joint stiffness, living with excruciating pain, having trouble gripping objects, and struggling to perform everyday tasks can really be an uphill battle.
In this article, we will discuss what inflammatory arthritis is, how it impacts your life, and whether making simple lifestyle changes can really help. Let’s dive right in!
What is Inflammatory Arthritis and How Can It Impact Your Life?
For those who might not already know, inflammatory arthritis is an autoimmune condition. It’s when a person’s immune system attacks their joint tissues, as well as other parts of the body. This can cause pain, swelling, and inflammation in the joints. It can also lead to inflammation in the eyes, lungs, skin, and even the heart.
There are many different types of inflammatory arthritis, and they can cause various different symptoms. Some of the most commonly known are rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis.
Inflammatory arthritis can have a big impact on your quality of life. Living with any type of arthritis can be difficult, but inflammatory arthritis can be particularly uncomfortable.
This is because it makes it harder to do simple tasks like gripping objects, carrying groceries, or climbing the stairs. Inflammatory arthritis can also be quite unpredictable. This is because it sometimes causes long periods of extreme symptoms – known as flare-ups.
These flare-ups can lead to worsening pain, increased fatigue, and reduced mobility. When it comes to inflammatory arthritis, the biggest challenge is learning how to manage symptoms and reduce the risk of permanent deformities. That’s why inflammatory arthritis should always be taken seriously.
So how do you know if you have inflammatory arthritis? And how is it different from other common types of arthritis? Let’s take a look.
Inflammatory Arthritis: Symptoms and Distinctions
Many people in the UK are living with inflammatory arthritis. In fact, studies show that approximately 1% of the UK population has rheumatoid arthritis.
But how do you know if you have arthritis in the first place? Let’s talk about some of the most common symptoms:
- Joint Stiffness: Do your joints feel stiff first thing in the morning? Does this make it difficult to start your day? Do they feel stiff again when you rest for a few hours? If so, this could be an early sign of inflammatory arthritis.
- Consistent Joint Pain: Joint pain is common across most age groups. However, if the pain persists for long periods of time, especially in small joints such as those in hands, fingers, toes and wrists, then this could be a sign of inflammatory arthritis.
- Swelling: Have you noticed that your joints feel more swollen? Are they looking more red than usual, and are they painful to touch? Joint swelling is a common symptom that often affects people with inflammatory arthritis.
- Feelings of fatigue: Have you been feeling more tired lately? Fatigue is another common symptom of inflammatory arthritis. If you’re struggling with a constant lack of energy, and you’re not sure why, then this could be another sign of arthritis.
- Numbness: Inflammation can put pressure on nerves. This can sometimes cause tingling sensations, or numbness, in the hands and feet.
These are just some of the most common symptoms. If you’re worried about joint pain and stiffness, a rheumatologist in London can help you understand what’s happening to your body, and give you an accurate diagnosis. They can also help you understand how inflammatory arthritis is different from other common types of arthritis such as osteoarthritis.
When it comes to inflammatory arthritis, it’s important to understand the cause, symptoms, progression, and potential impact of the condition. As discussed above, inflammatory arthritis is an autoimmune condition.
It is when the immune system attacks the joints. Osteoarthritis, on the other hand, is often considered a wear-and-tear condition. It is when the joints deteriorate over time, often as activity, injury, or age. Inflammatory arthritis also has different symptoms.
For example, with inflammatory arthritis, people often experience joint pain, stiffness, redness, and swelling. Whereas with osteoarthritis, people often only experience joint pain and stiffness.
With inflammatory arthritis, the symptoms tend to progress quite rapidly, and can affect other vital tissues. Whereas, with osteoarthritis, the symptoms usually progress quite slowly, and can affect people more over time.
Now that we know all about inflammatory arthritis, let’s tackle the big question, What is the link between lifestyle and inflammatory arthritis? Are there ways to better manage your symptoms?
The Link Between Lifestyle And Inflammatory Arthritis
It is no surprise that a good lifestyle can make a big difference to your joint health. But did you know that it can also help to alleviate your arthritis? Taking part in simple, low-impact activities like yoga, swimming, and walking can help improve your overall joint health and mobility.
In addition to this, replacing processed foods with omega-3 rich items, such as salmon and flaxseeds, as well as antioxidant rich foods, such as blueberries and green vegetables, can help reduce inflammation and flare ups.
Wondering what else you can do to help alleviate arthritis pain? There are a couple of things that you can do to help reduce inflammation. Topping this list is stress, as stress is a major trigger of inflammation in the body. Practicing stress management techniques like meditation and breathing exercise can help.
Additionally, avoiding addictive substances such as alcohol, recreational drugs and cigarettes can also help. These substances accelerate damage to the joints, cause interactions with medications, and increase inflammation.
However, if you’re worried about, or struggling with inflammation, it’s always best to get advice from a rheumatologist. An experienced rheumatologist in London can recommend effective ways to manage arthritis symptoms.
They can also help ensure early diagnosis and help prevent joint damage. A good rheumatologist can also provide bespoke treatment options, that are tailored to your specific condition and overall health.
Arthritis and Your Joints
Medical conditions like inflammatory arthritis can have a big impact on your quality of life. Symptoms such as joint pain and stiffness can affect your mobility, thereby impacting your physical health.
They can also affect your ability to carry out tasks independently, thereby impacting your mental health. Making small lifestyle changes, and taking a holistic approach to care, can help improve your symptoms.
Learning about your condition, and seeking expert medical advice from a rheumatologist, can also help make things easier. After all, it’s important to remember that your lifestyle habits affect your health in more ways than one!
