ARTHRITIS

WHAT IS ARTHRITIS?

Arthritis is an inflammation of a joint or joints, which may be painful. There are over 100 different types of arthritis. Arthritis affects one or more joints of the body. There are about 37 million Americans with arthritis. One out of every seven people suffers the pain and expense of arthritis.

WHAT IS A JOINT?

A joint is a meeting of two bones that allows movement. Arthritis can affect all parts of the joint.

WHAT ARE EARLY‑WARNING SIGNS OF ARTHRITIS?

Arthritis may start slowly. People often ignore the early‑warming signs, which include the following symptoms in one or more joints:

ï Pain (sometimes very mild at first)

ï Tenderness

ï Swelling

ï Stiffness, especially in the mornings

If these signs last for more than 3 to 6 weeks, call the doctor.

WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON TYPES OF ARTHRITIS?

ï Osteoarthritis

ï Rheumatoid arthritis

WHAT IS OSTEOARTHRITIS?

FACTS

ï Thins and hardens the cartilage, wearing it away

ï Called "wear and tear" arthritis

ï Is a degenerative joint disease (DJD)

ï Is the most common arthritis

ï May occur at any age, but is especially common among people in their 50s and 60s

ï Gets worse over time (progressive)

BODY PARTS AFFECTED

Osteoarthritis affects the following weight‑bearing joints:

Knees

Hips

Spine

Fingers

Lower back

SIGNS

Joint pain/tenderness that gets worse over time.

Joint stillness

Loss of movement

Nodes (bony knobs) around some joints

Joint swelling

Muscle spasms or weakness

WHAT IS RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS?

WHAT RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS DOES

Rheumatoid arthritis affects the joint fluid (synovial membrane). The joint is attacked by the body's own immune system. If inflammation (swelling) is not slowed, it can severely damage and deform joints.

FACTS

Affects all age groups

Usually starts in middle age

Is more common in women

TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR ARTHRITIS PAIN

Thinking of pain as a signal to take positive action rather than an ordeal to be endured can help you manage pain.

Your mind plays an important role in how you feel pain and how you respond to illness. People with arthritis often feel helpless and depressed. With these feelings come decreased activity, poor self‑esteem, and increased pain. So building a sense of personal control by adjusting your thoughts and actions is an important part of pain management. Below are some suggestions to help you manage pain better.

KEEP A POSITIVE ATTITUDE

Arthritis can limit you, but it does not have to control your life. One way to reduce your pain is to build your life around wellness, not pain or sickness. This means thinking positive thoughts, keeping a sense of humor, eating a balanced diet, exercising every day, and enjoying activities with others. It also means following your treatment plan, taking your medication properly, and practicing relaxation.

Talk to your doctor, nurse, or physical or occupational therapist about how you can make your life healthier. Get involved in a favorite activity or hobby. Remind yourself of what you can do rather than what you cannot do.

DO NOT DWELL ON YOUR PAIN

How often do you think about your pain? The amount of time you spend focusing on it has a great deal to do with how much discomfort you feel. People who dwell on their pain usually say their pain is worse than those people who do not dwell on it. One way to take you mind off of pain is to focus on someone or something else.

Everyone has the ability to be distracted. The more you focus your attention on something outside of your body, the less you will be aware of physical discomfort. For example, get involved in an activity or hobby you enjoy, develop a new interest, or get involved with helping others. If you cannot avoid thinking about the pain, try to think about it differently. Think of the pain as your body's message to do something different.

PRACTICE POSITIVE SELF‑TALK

What we say to ourselves often determines what we do and how we look at life. For example, you may come home from work and think, "I do not want to exercise today. It is cloudy outside, there is no one to walk with, and besides, I have already exercised twice this week." Or perhaps you approach the situation from a different perspective and think, "I do not feel like exercising today, but I know I will feel better afterward and have an easier time falling asleep."

Both of these are examples of self‑talk. However, each can have a different effect on the way you feel pain. Negative self‑talk can lead to increased pain. Positive self‑talk can help distract you from pain

Changing negative self‑talk to positive self‑talk is a challenge, but it can be done. To make the change, follow these three steps:

1. Make a list of your negative self‑talk statements.

2.ÝÝÝÝÝ Then change each negative statement to a positive one. For example, "I am tired and do not feel like attending my support group tonight, but if I do not go, I might miss out on some helpful hints, like the ones I learned about last month. I can always leave the meeting a little early, if necessary. I will bet someone in the group has some good suggestions about how to cope with the kind of fatigue I am experiencing."

3.ÝÝÝÝÝ Practice positive self‑talk. At first it may seem awkward. However, you will soon discover what a difference it can make.

CHANGE YOUR PAIN HABITS

It is easy to slip into the habit of taking more medicines or relying on other unhealthy practices, such as drinking alcohol, to escape your pain. If you answer "yes" to any of the questions below, you may need to find new ways to handle your pain.

… Do you finish a bottle of pain medication faster than you used to?

… Do you spend a lot of time in bed aside from your regular sleep time?

… Do you drink alcohol to decrease your pain?

… Do you talk with pain or arthritis much of the time?

Changing your pain habits will help you feel better. One way to make a change is to do something positive in place of the old habit. You can reinforce this change by rewarding yourself each time you do something positive‑perhaps by spending some extra time in a soothing whirlpool or taking an additional 10 minutes to read the morning newspaper. Discuss these habits with your doctor, nurse, or other health care professional that specializes in pain management. Ask about new ways to manage pain.

CREATE A PAIN MANAGEMENT PLAN

Make a chart of your own pain control methods to help you keep track of which methods you have used and which ones work best for you. Post it on your refrigerator so you can refer to it often.