With prevalence higher than that of diabetes or cancer, arthritis has emerged as one of the widely spreading diseases in India, currently affecting nearly 200 million or about 15% of the population. Preventive measures and proper self-care are important for the country to bring down the burden from the disease, and to make a big difference to patients especially during the ongoing pandemic, when getting in-person consultation or medical intervention is proving to be difficult.

In connection with the Arthritis Awareness Month, being observed in May every year, across the world, arthritis is a swelling or tenderness in one (or more) of joints. It can affect many different parts of the joint and nearly every joint in the body. The most common forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, and ankylosing spondylitis. Arthritis affects people in different ways. But the most common symptoms are pain, stiffness or reduced movement, swelling, redness, and warmth of joints. Also, the general symptoms include tiredness, weight loss, and feeling unwell.

People think arthritis is a normal part of getting older. However, this is not true. It can affect people of all backgrounds and age groups. Anyone including children and young people can get arthritis. Two out of every three people with arthritis are in the age group of 15 to 60 years.

Important for early detection.

Not many think that it’s a serious medical condition, and it needs timely medication and care so that it doesn’t aggravate further. Delay is often due to lack of awareness. Talk to your doctor if you have pain and stiffness associated with swelling, redness and warmth of your joints that begins with no apparent reason and lasts for more than a few days.

On useful preventive measures, diet and exercise can help prevent the incidence and progression of arthritis. Maintaining a healthy weight and engaging in physical activity reduces the risk of developing arthritis, especially osteoarthritis. Overweight women are almost four times more likely to get knee osteoarthritis than women with normal body weight.

Physical activity can ease arthritic pain, improve function and mood, and delay the onset of disability. Even small amounts of weight loss have proven to reduce pressure on the joints significantly. Consult your doctor or physiotherapist about the type of activity such as cycling, dancing, walking, gardening, swimming, and yoga that would be most appropriate for your condition. Exercise is crucial. Just 30 minutes of exercise five times a week helps joints stay mobile and strengthens the muscles that support your knees and hips. It’s essential to focus on low-impact activities like walking, cycling or swimming. Gentle stretching can improve your range of motion and keep your joints healthy. Try to work on simple stretches every day.

Role of a healthy and balanced diet in prevention of arthritis

A Various nutrients may help boost joint health and reduce inflammation. Foods that may help delay the onset or progression of arthritis are fruits and vegetables that provide antioxidants, low-fat dairy foods that contain calcium and vitamin D, and healthy oils such as extra virgin olive oil. These foods are a part of an anti-inflammatory diet. In contrast, foods that can increase the risk of oxidative stress, and inflammation are highly processed foods and foods that contain added sugar or salt, unhealthy fats such as trans fats and saturated fats, and red meat. Hence these foods should be avoided. Keeping blood sugar under control is also important, as high blood sugar can stiffen the tissue that supports joints and make them more sensitive to stress.

The need for avoiding injuries

An injured joint is more likely to develop arthritis than one that is never injured. Wear protective gear when playing sports and protect your joints from everyday strain using the correct technique when sitting, working, and lifting. For example, lift with your knees and hips, not your back – when picking up objects.

There is need for the public to have healthy lifestyle choices such as not smoking, avoiding stress, getting adequate sleep, and reducing alcohol intake can improve your well-being by keeping you high on emotional wellness, self-management and motivation.

Dr. Chirag Thonse
Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon
Vikram Hospital

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 In a tropical country like India, the summers are too harsh. The heat and humidity increases exponentially as the temperature soars high in the month of April and May. The heat wave during this time worsens the condition of people who are suffering from arthritis and chronic joint pain. Joints in the human body have sensory nerves that have the ability to sense the change in temperature and weather. The change in the temperature and humidity tends to change the fluid level that is found in the joints and results in inflammation and pain. It can also affect the movement of the joints as it causes laxity in the ligaments, tendons and muscles.

Arthritis is one such disease which has multiple triggers such as autoimmune diseases, trauma to the joints, a viral infection and sudden weight gain. But the temperature variations are one of the main triggers for inflammation as the joints have the tendency to swell and cause extreme pain.

Ways to manage arthritis during summer

Summer is considered to be one of the main seasons for increased pain in the joints and it is difficult to manage because of the increased levels of heat and humidity. The below mentioned ways can be followed to ease the arthritis in summer.

1. Plan your activities in tandem with the temperature – Although the summer is a time for activities, people who suffer from arthritis need to plan them keeping in mind the temperature. It is imperative to do stretches before planning any physical activity. It is also important to plan outdoor activities that will not stress muscles. As the humidity and heat outdoors tend to flare up pain. Arthritis can be alleviated by understanding the limitations and acquiring them can bring a difference between a healthy summer day and a joint swelling.

2. Frequent Hydration – Temperature variation has a direct effect on the fluid content in the body, this decreases the lubrication of the joints and induces the pain and inflammation. As the mercury soars, the heat depletes the fluid levels and dehydrates the body. This leads to pain and inflammation in the joints because of the increased friction between the bones. Sufficient hydration helps in keeping the cartilage soft and it facilitates healthy blood flow. Hence, hydration becomes very crucial to arthritis management in summer. Hydration levels can be maintained by consuming plenty of fruits and veggies in addition to regular water intake. Some fruits and vegetables that are rich in water content include celery, spinach, oranges, tomatoes, cucumbers, orange and watermelon.

3. Dressing in comfortable clothes and footwear – As the temperature outside rises, it is essential to dress comfortably and preferably in clothes which allows easy flow of blood. Footwear is also an integral part in order to prevent over exertion of pressure on joints like toe and ankle.

4. Visit to physiotherapist – Physiotherapist is the best person to design a low impact exercise routine for easing of pain in the summer. Therefore, the physiotherapist consultation can be very helpful.

These steps can help in preventing or easing the artritis pain during the summer season. It is always a good option to seek advice from a medical expert when the pain becomes unbearable.

Dr. Pavan Chebbi
Consultant, Orthopaedic Surgeon
Apollo Spectra Hospital, Bangalore

The post Summer and Arthritis: How heat can make the joints inflamed? appeared first on Health Vision.

Does your knee cap constantly hurt? Does the pain increase when you rest? Or does the limb stiffen when you wake up in the morning? Well, all these are the early signs of arthritis. The term arthritis means inflammation of a joint. One of the most common types of arthritis is osteoarthritis which occurs due to the wearing down of the flexible tissue at the ends of the bone.

This condition is observed mostly among people over the age of 50. But these days, even the younger population develop arthritis due to their sedentary lifestyle. Globally, it is observed that 1 in 3 persons develop arthritis. However, the lesser known fact about this condition is arthritis is just an umbrella term for more than 100 types of rheumatic diseases. This World Arthritis Day (12 October) , let us understand the early symptoms, causes of this condition and how can we maintain the overall wellness of our bones and joints.

The signs of arthritis to look out for are:

1. Pain in joints: Few may experience this pain constantly and may be intermittent for others. This pain is experienced either in resting state or while walking or doing physical activity. The pain can be felt in other joints of the body also.

2. Stiffness: If you are resting for a long time, you may experience stiffness in joints. Especially when are waking up in the morning or after driving or working for long hours, stiffness in neck, wrists, knees can be noticed.

3. Difficulty in moving the joints: People with arthritis may face difficulty in getting up from a chair or extending their arm in backward direction.

4. Swelling: Redness in the skin near the joint with swelling and warm feeling is also an early sign of arthritis.

Apart from the above, the other ignored signs for arthritis are, pain that doesn’t subside in 3-4 days, pain that interferes in daily activities. This is an indicator to consult your doctor.

But what are the factors that cause arthritis?

1. Family history:Some types of arthritis are genetically occurring. If anyone in your immediate family is suffering from arthritis, you have to be cautious. Arthritis can also be passed on genetically.

2. Age: People above the age group of 50 are more prone to develop arthritis due to the wear and tear of the joints.

3. Gender factor:Women are more prone to arthritis due to hormonal changes and stress than men.

4. Diabetes: People with diabetes are more prone to arthritis because high blood sugar promotes molecules that make cartilages stiffer leading to osteoarthritis

5. Obesity: Knees take the whole weight of the body when you stand erect. When a person is overweight, the joints are under even more pressure. Hence, people with obesity are susceptible to arthritis, irrespective of their age.

Many of the diseases we are prone to today can be avoided or delayed by making small lifestyle changes and the same applies to arthritis too.

6. Control your weight– As mentioned above, any extraweight will lead to excess stress on joints, knee caps. Therefore, limit your intake of fatty and unhealthy food.

7. Eat healthy to prevent– Have a good calcium, omega and vitamin D rich diets, have loads of green leaves, milk as this food can prevent inflammation caused by arthritis.

8. Take care of the knee injuries: Do not ignore your bone injuries. About half of the people suffer with arthritis due to traumatic joint injuries. So always get yourself checked if you have a bone injury.

9. Exercise regularly: Physical activity is the best way to avoid stiffness and other signs of arthritis.

Following the right diet plan and exercising regularly can help you steer clear of arthritis.

Dr Ravichandra Kelkar
Consultant- Orthopaedics,
Columbia Asia Hospital
Hebbal, Bengaluru

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