May you grow old and decrepit?
If you answered amen
to that prayer, then you already know and agree with my title, that arthritis
is one of the gifts that come with old age. Arthritis is God’s prescription and
must be taken by everyone. It is akin to slow death into old age. Old age comes
with its own baggage of poor eye sight, poor hearing, weak heart and weak
bones. As we age, we slowly fall apart and become frail. The bones degenerate, lose
their supporting ligaments and rub together (arthritis). This degeneration is
what can then lead to the pain and swelling around joints of the body. It leads
to neck pains, back pains, hip pains and knee pains. Depending on your body
status, usage and of course occupation, the symptoms can be none, mild,
moderate or severe.
Anyway, forgive my
sanctimonious ramblings and let us talk about prevention of arthritis.
Arthritis starts
from about 20 years of age in most people. Soon as we finish growing, we start
to deteriorate which is what happens with arthritis. The best treatment for
arthritis is prevention. The very best way to prevent arthritis is to die
young. But, we do not want to do that! So the next best way is to ensure you
live a lifestyle free of obesity, constant body trauma from occupations that
cause repetitive injuries, punishing sporting activities and smoking.
Cervical Spondylosis
Cervical is
the medical term for neck. Spondylosis is a term referring to
degenerative arthritis of the joints between the bones. Therefore cervical
spondylosis is arthritis of the neck. The neck supports the head and when the
neck is injured, you can feel like the ‘weight of the world is on your
shoulders’. It can cause pain in the neck, radiating into the head, pain
shooting down the arms and pain down the spine. It can lead to pressure on the
nerves or the spinal cord. This can then cause numbness in the hands, legs and
difficulty with walking. It can be so bad as to make a patient completely
disabled.
The causes
of common neck pains are as follows
·
Poor posture
at home or at work leading to neck strain and muscle spasms
·
Cradling the
phone between your neck and shoulder (without using your hand)
·
Neck
injuries such as whiplash
·
Lying on your
stomach to read for long periods
·
Degenerative
diseases causing disc prolapse and arthritis
Lumbar Spondylosis
Lumbar is
the medical term for the lower back. Spondylosis
is again the term referring to degenerative arthritis of the joints between the
bones. Therefore, lumbar spondylosis is arthritis of the back. The back
supports the body and helps keep us upright. It is therefore affected by the
weight of the body especially when standing, sitting and walking. Pain in the
back can radiate to the hips, the legs and the private parts. With pressure on
the nerves, it can lead to numbness in the legs and weakness causing difficulty
in walking. It can be so bad as to cause problems with passing urine and stool.
It can also affect sexual function.
The causes
of common back pain are as follows:
·
Poor posture
·
Improper
lifting techniques
·
Back injury
such as muscle sprains
·
Bone and
muscle disease
·
Stress,
anxiety and depression
·
Degenerative
conditions such as osteoporosis and arthritis
Other joints such as hips and knees can be affected in arthritis and can lead to a
miserable life. The treatment for arthritis in general is prevention and
exercises. You must keep active and mobile as sedentary living causes the
joints to stiffen up and lead to worsening of the condition. Do some physical
activity, if possible, and consider others such as breathing exercises,
physiotherapy, massage, acupuncture, and aerobics therapy. Apart from improving
physical health, other benefits include stress relief, improving sleep and the additional
benefits from socialising with other people.
Drugs treatment
Drugs can help to reduce the pain so making
it easy for the patient to exercise. The commoner drugs used are Paracetamol,
Ibuprofen and Diclofenac. There are other drugs such as Amitriptyline,
Carbamazepine, Pregabalin and Gabapentin which are however not often used to
the maximum dose before being substituted. Drug combinations should take into
consideration, the mode of action and duration of action of the drug. This
means that different types of drugs that work through different mechanisms
should be used. We also have an irrational fear of the pretty strong pain
killers due to ‘possible’ complications. The fear of complications causes many
doctors to avoid good drugs.
Surgery for
arthritis
Surgery for arthritis of the spine
depends on the cause and the condition. It may be simple or complex involving
the use of implants to hold the spine together. For arthritis of the hips and
knees, a new hip or knee may be required. Those
who cannot be operated upon or who do not need an operation can also be helped
by injections, physical therapy and advice.
However, patients
need to know that arthritis is not curable. It is treatable and manageable but
cannot be cured. Because like I said before, it is God’s own prescription.
Prayers can help but prevention by healthy living is very important to avoid
surgery.
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