Can You Stop the Progression of Arthritis?

So much of how we move our bodies relies on the use of our joints, including our elbows, wrists, shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles. There are many conditions that affect these joints, including joint inflammation problems like arthritis. 

There are over 100 different types of arthritis (osteoarthritis being the most common), and with as many as 53.2 million people in America struggling with it, arthritis has become one of the leading causes of work disability.

The progression of arthritis happens at different rates for people, but if the condition becomes severe, it can compromise your ability to use the joint and increase the chances of falls, metabolic disorders, and limited mobility. 

To find out if you can do anything to slow down the progression of this problem, let’s look at some basics of arthritis, how it progresses over time, and what options are there to cope with it.

Residents of the Fort Worth, Texas, area looking for relief from arthritis can find help with Dr. Joseph Daniels and his experienced staff at Southwest Orthopedic Associates.

Arthritis basics

Joints do naturally wear down over time, but arthritis is an inflammation of the bones and tissue in your joints that can create swelling, joint pain, skin discoloration, tenderness and sensitivity,  stiffness, and reduced mobility of the affected joint. It often affects your knees, hips, feet, ankles, lower back, hands, and wrists.

While osteoarthritis is the most common, other types include psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, and ankylosing spondylitis.

How it progresses over time

Generally, arthritis damages joints in stages, depending on the cause and type:

• Stage 1: at this point you may not even notice anything happening in your joints, but the cartilage there is wearing down and bone spurs may develop

• Stage 2: enzymes are breaking down cartilage, bone spurs are growing, the space in your joints start to narrow, and stiffness, pain, and mobility issues start to set in

• Stage 3: the space between joints narrow faster, more cartilage wears away, and symptoms become more painful and severe with more swelling

• Stage 4: cartilage is very thin or completely gone, there is far less lubrication in joints, and the pain in trying to use the joint becomes far worse

What can be done to manage it

Slowing the progression of arthritis is best done in the early stages, and is accomplished with a variety of methods:

Keeping a healthy lifestyle

Eating a proper diet, getting supplements to improve joint health,  and safely maintaining mobility in the affected joints all help to improve things and reduce damage.

Controlling weight

Being overweight or obese puts added weight on joints, and can accelerate problems in those areas, so losing weight and working on keeping it off can help a great deal to slow down the damage.

Protecting joints

This is a combination of using best practices at work or home to lift and move things properly (use the largest muscles and joints to alleviate pressure on the weaker parts of the body) and using braces when necessary.

Physical activity

Moderate to intense exercise (at least 30 minutes daily) can help to keep joints strong and healthy in the early stages of arthritis, but even if things worsen, you’ll still need to use them to prevent the mobility and pain issues from getting worse.

Once the damage starts, you can’t reverse it, but you can keep it under control. If you’re dealing with problems in your joints from arthritis, make an appointment with Dr. Daniels and Southwest Orthopedic Associates today.