Arthritis can be described as the swelling and tenderness of one or more joints.
Arthritis symptoms and types
Symptoms include:
- joint pain
- stiffness
- reduce Range of Motion (ROM)
Major Types:
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid-Arthritis
Said so, Arthritis can be a consequence of another type of disease, like:
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Gout
- Juvenile idiopathic
- Psoriatic A.
- Reactive A.
- Septic A.
- Thumb A.
Those types of Arthritis manifest in different body areas and can display simultaneously.
Symptoms can worsen with the ageing process.
What is Osteoarthritis, and what causes it?
We refer to osteoarthritis when the cartilage between the bonds that form a joint does wear out.
Cartilage is a hard, slippery tissue that sits between 2 bonds, like the knee cap and femur, or between the bond of your fingers and toes.
When this protective layer that keeps the two bonds separate does work out, the joint starts swelling due to an inflammatory process, and pain is consequently reproduced.
The cause can be joint overloading due to chronic injuries or imbalance within the musculoskeletal system.
For example, wearing high heels, or having a high foot arch, can lead to wear in the cartilage of the big toes.
There is no cure for this type of arthritis, and pain management, through manual therapy and or medications is what so far can be done.
What is Rheumatoid Arthritis, and what causes it?
Rheumatoid A. is a disease type where the immune system attacks the joints.
For rheumatoid arthritis, there are fewer known reasons why it can happen, but there are some factors that can play a role, such as:
- Family history
- Gender
- Obesity
- Joint injury
- Age
Diagnoses
To diagnose arthritis, you would have to see your GP and go for further investigations such as an X-ray, blood test or other medical investigations process.
Massage and Treatment for Arthritis.
For this type of condition, massage can be a useful therapeutic tool to reduce the pain sensation and manage the presentation.
No massage technique can cure the presentation itself, but techniques like MLD are probably the most effective in pain management and symptom relief.
Thanks to the direct stimulation of the Lymphatic System, MLD can inhibit the pain signal and relieve the person.
As arthritis is often present in older people, we must check for any other condition or presentation that is an absolute contraindication to this type of treatment before commencing treatment.