Ugh, is your Nani/Dadi also tired of joint pain? Well, we can imagine. In India having joint pain sounds like some traditional thing. But have you heard of Arthritis? Somewhere, right? In this blog, we’ll learn about arthritis, its risk factors, and its complications. 

Arthritis is a disease associated with joint pain, swelling, and inflammation. This particular term is used to indicate even more than 100 joints problems. Arthritis has various types, each having its own cause and a particular set of symptoms. 

Types of Arthritis

Osteoarthritis, Ankylosing spondylitis, juvenile arthritis, gout, psoriatic, and rheumatoid arthritis are some types of arthritis. Out of these, osteoarthritis is the most common. Juvenile arthritis, gout, and rheumatoid arthritis are also often found in society. 

1. Osteoarthritis- It is when the cartilage, connective tissue in your joint gets broken. This type of arthritis happens due to the “wear and tear” of tissues around your joint. 
2. Juvenile Arthritis- As the name suggests, this type of arthritis happens in children or young adults. It is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks the tissues around the joint. 
3. Gout- This type of arthritis happens when the excess of uric acid in the blood starts affecting your joint. 
4. Rheumatoid Arthritis- It is another autoimmune disease condition in which the joint capsule, a tough tissue around the joint is attacked by one’s own immune system. 

Now, you can see above how each type of arthritis has its own cause. Cartilage breakage leads to osteoarthritis. Excess uric acid in the blood can cause gout. In the case of autoimmune disorders, if the immune system attacks the joint capsule, it will lead to rheumatoid arthritis, and if it attacks tissues surrounding the joint, juvenile arthritis can happen. 

Symptoms

Joint pain, swelling, inflammation, difficulty in movement, and restriction in the range of motion of the joint are some most common symptoms that are found in the case of arthritis. Also, the person will suffer stiffness and more pain when they get up after long hours of sleeping or sitting. 

Risk Factors for Arthritis

There is no cure to arthritis, just its management, and to do this, you must have the knowledge of risk factors for arthritis as well. Following are some of these-

1. Age- The risk of arthritis increases with age. As you get older, the power of the body to heal your tissues decreases, and hence, the risk increases. 
2. Sex- Arthritis is more prominent in men than women. Except for gout, it is likely to happen more in men. 
3. Obesity- Being overweight puts more weight on the knees and joints, so the chance of getting arthritis increases. You should always maintain your weight to avoid such problems. 
4. Genetic- If you have a family history of joint problems, your genes may be the risk factors themselves. You can’t do anything about it, but you can always be careful by maintaining other things.
5. Occupation- If your job includes repetitive bending of knees or lifting weights, you are at a greater risk of damaging the tissues around joints.  
6. Infections- Some bacteria or other microbes can potentially infect your joint and hence, you may develop arthritis. 
7. Joint injuries- Joint injuries can potentially lead to osteoarthritis and hence, you must be careful of the same. 

Complications of Arthritis 

if you fail to manage arthritis or prevent its risk factors. You can potentially face these complications- 

1. Restricted movement- Arthritis will not let you move freely and this will keep you at a distance from socializing or doing any of your favorite activities. 
2. Obesity or weight gain Arthritis can have you not doing exercise or the physical work that will eventually affect your body weight. 
3. Metabolic disorders- Being overweight with having swellings or inflammation in your joints can lead to other serious metabolic disorders like type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and so on. 
4. Inflammation in other parts of your body- Inflammation from joints can spread to your other body parts like eyes, skin, vessels, lungs, and blood. Thus, it can potentially infect them.
5. Reduced ability to work- Since most of the people that suffer from arthritis are middle-aged. Reduced movement, pain, and swelling can hence decrease your ability to work. 
6. Mental health- People suffering from arthritis can have adverse effects on their mental health. 
7. Risk of falls- You may suffer dizziness from the pain and medications of arthritis. It might be related to your muscle weakness too. 

Getron Wellness brings to you several products including oil, syrup, capsule, edible powder, and spray that can help you treat or manage arthritis. Do check out our products for the same in our shop!