30 ARTHRITIS FACTS

1.    The most common form of arthritis is Osteoarthritis (OA), affects over 23 million American adults.

2.      An estimated 23 to 43 million people are living with a form of arthritis in the US today.

3.      The word “Arthritis” literally means joint inflammation.

4.      Arthritis can strike any of the body joints, where two or more bones come together.

5.      Osteoarthritis (OA) predominantly affects the cartilage of the joints.

6.      The most commonly affected joints by OA include the hips, knees, ankles, feet, hands, and spine.

7.      Blood tests are not used as a diagnostic tool for osteoarthritis.

·         Usually the white blood cell (WBC), hematocrit, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) are within normal limits in the individual with osteoarthritis.

·         X-ray finding can help the doctor to differentiate between OA and rheumatoid arthritis.

8.      Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) affects more women than men (3:1).

9.      The average onset age for Rheumatoid Arthritis is between 20 and 50 years of age.

10.  Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) has been estimated to affect 1% of the American population, which equates to approximately two and a half million people.

11.  Joints, tendons, ligaments, bones, and muscles are affected by Rheumatoid Arthritis. RA affects other body parts including the heart, eyes, lungs and blood cells.

12.  Rheumatoid arthritis tends to affect the joints in a symmetrical fashion.

13.  Obesity is defined as a BMI (Body Mass Index) of greater than 30%. Research studies have shown a reciprocal relationship between obesity and the increased prevalence of osteoarthritis in the hips and knees.

• Weight managment is an important factor in the treatment for arthritis. 
• Losing weight will not only improve you overall heath status, but it can ease the additional stress on all of your joints, especially your knees and hips (weight-bearing joints).
• Gaining one pound puts four times more stress on knee and hip joints
• 10 additional pounds results in 100 pounds of mechanical stress in the lumber spine.

14.  Spondyloarthropathy is a grouping of arthritic diseases that generally affect the bones and joints of the spine.

15. The three S’s of arthritis are: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Spondyloarthropathy, and Scleroderma.

16.  Research strongly suggests that there may be a familial, or genetic, component for some of the rheumatic diseases, such as ankylosing spondylitis and gout.

17.  The common name for Reiter’s Syndrome is Reactive Arthritis.

18.  Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA) is the most common form of childhood arthritis.

19.  Range of Motion (ROM), measured in degrees, is the motion that your joints can move in a certain direction.

20.  Connective tissue diseases affect the tissues that comprise the supporting framework of the body.

21.  Autoimmune diseases refers to when the body’s own immune system attacks itself, rather than to function properly and protect the body from invading diseases.

22.  Research suggested that there might be hormonal influences in the development of certain rheumatic diseases. For example women have a higher propensity to develop RA, lupus, scleroderma, and fibromyalgia.

23.  Post-traumatic Arthritis of the knee can results after an injury, or traumatic insult to the knee, such as a torn meniscus, fracture, or injury to a ligament.

24.  There are 27 bones that comprise the intricate architecture of the hand, which can be affected by arthritis.

25.  Exercise is the best way to decrease and manage arthritic pain.

26.  Overdoing physical activity, focusing on your pain, poor nutrition, and ignoring your body’s need to sleep and hydration can all have a negative impact on your health, pain levels, and arthritic disease progression.

27.  The Arthritis Foundation has a “2-Hour Pain Rule”, which they define as “If you have more arthritis pain (as opposed to sore muscles from exercise) 2 hours after you exercise than you did before, you’ve probably done too much and should cut back a little. Don’t stop exercising, not exercising can make your arthritis worse!”

28.  By alternating your activity patterns, you can give your joints and muscles much-needed breaks through the day. It is also helpful to alternate heavy and light tasks.

29.  Arthritis sufferers should only wear splints if their doctor or therapist has recommended them, and they have been instructed in their proper use. Incorrect use of splints can cause damage to the joint(s).  

30. Use of assistive devices can make daily chores at work and/or work easier. Such devices include jar openers, button fasteners, extension devices, grippers, energy absorbing shoes, orthotics inserts, etc.