National Arthritis Day

Today is Arthritis Day in the United States. Did you know that there are 300,000 children in the United States with arthritis? Did you know that there are 100 different types of arthritis? It affects 1 in 5 adults and 2/3s of people with arthritis are under the age of 65! These numbers are staggering and it drastically affects the lifestyle that people lead. The range of the effects of this condition spreads from children to senior citizens, but are very similar in how they change their lifestyles.

Arthritis is a condition that tends to become worse the longer that you have it. It can range from stiffness and pain that a person can feel when the weather changes. These are the people that tell you that their knee hurts so it’s going to rain that day. At its worst though, it can change the shape of people’s hands and feet and cause them to not be able to fit their foot into a normal shoe as a result.

In many people, the pain will be worse in the evening due to using these joints throughout the day. In some people it will be so bad that they will be woken up in the middle of the night by the pain. In some forms of arthritis though, the pain may be at its worst in the morning. This is why there are so many varieties of arthritis and why it can be a great pretender because they symptoms widely vary.

So, how can you treat your arthritis? Different types of arthritis have different treatment plans, but most often you can use pain killers to help alleviate the discomfort you are feeling. Applying heat and cold packs can help as well, especially with the swelling at the joints. One of the most important things is to remain active. Now, this seems very counterproductive because these joints are in pain. However, by keeping these joints active, you will reduce the speed at which the arthritis progresses and you will hopefully be able to slow down the effects of the process. One of the best exercises you can do is swimming because it is an exercise that does not put additional stress on your joints like running or weight-lifting does.

If you or someone that you know has arthritis or is experiencing pain in their joints, please call us at (978) 794-8406. Dr. Wachtel will be able to help you with determining what the cause of your pain is, as well as work with you to decide a treatment plan that will best fit into your life. Our offices serve the Salem, Windham, Pelham and Hampstead, New Hampshire areas.