Arthritis

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Did you know that arthritis is not just one condition, but rather a group of over 100 conditions that impact the joints of the body? Arthritis is often associated with older individuals, but it can affect people of all ages, and it’s estimated that approximately 4 million Australians are impacted by this condition.

In this article, we focus on two common types of arthritis found in Australia, which are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Read on as we discuss all things arthritis, including arthritis prevention, arthritis pain relief, and everything in between.

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If you are struggling with arthritis, it’s important you speak with a healthcare professional for advice. Greencare is a telehealth clinic offering consultations with doctors and nurse practitioners who specialise in the management of arthritis. If you want to talk about your condition and alternative treatment options that may be available for you, you can click below to book an appointment with a healthcare professional.

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Greencare is an independent telehealth clinic who are not affiliated with Levin Health.

What is arthritis?

Arthritis can be a painful condition that affects the joints, that is, the area where two bones meet. Your joints are important to make sure that bones can move and bend without rubbing against each other, and they do this by providing a slippery surface so your bones glide over each other without actually touching.

Arthritis is a condition that can impact the joints, cartilage, ligaments, and muscle. The way that it impacts your joints depends on what form of arthritis you have. The most common forms of arthritis in Australia are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout.

Osteoarthritis is a form of arthritis that affects the whole joint including bone, cartilage, ligaments, and muscles. Osteoarthritis can affect any joint but occurs most frequently in the knees, hips, finger joints and big toe. It was once thought that osteoarthritis was a condition that was a sign of “wear and tear” on joints, but research has shown that it may be due to the body working extra hard to repair damage in a joint.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a form of arthritis that is caused by your immune system, where your immune system begins attacking the lining of the joints, causing inflammation and joint damage which results in pain and swelling of the joints. Unlike osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis usually affects the smaller joints, such as the joints in the hands and feet, but can also affect joints such as the hips and knees can also be affected.

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What are common arthritis symptoms?

Different forms of arthritis have different symptoms and require a different set of tests to diagnose. For example, your doctor may need to perform scans or blood tests to reveal the state of a particular joint to differentiate between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Symptoms of Osteoarthritis

The symptoms of osteoarthritis vary from person to person and largely depend on what joints are affected. It’s important to remember that osteoarthritis often develops slowly, sometimes even over a period of years.

If you have osteoarthritis, you may experience any of the following symptoms:

Pain and stiffness of the joints
Inflammation of the tissue around a joint
Damage to the joint cartilage
Bony spurs growing around the edge of a joint
Deterioration of ligaments and tendons
Clicking noises in your joints
Grating sensations from your joints
Loss of flexibility in a joint.

When it comes to pain and stiffness, in most cases these symptoms are usually worse after you are active, but can become more constant and more painful as time progresses.

Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Like osteoarthritis, the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis vary from person-to-person. The most common symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis include:

Joint pain, swelling, and tenderness when touching the affected joint
Stiffness in the joints, especially in the morning

Because rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition, symptoms are often symmetrical, which means that the same joints are affected on both sides of the body.

Can arthritis cause joint stiffness?

Yes! A common symptom of both rheumatoid arthritis is joint stiffness, which means it is more difficult to move the joint than it should be.

Dr James Stewart is a true believer in focusing on overall health and promotes a healthy lifestyle as the key to arthritis relief. Watch the video below to learn more about arthritis pain management strategies you may wish to discuss with a Doctor.

https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/697205379

What causes arthritis?

Research into the causes of arthritis constantly evolving. For osteoarthritis, research has shown that there are some things that may put you at greater risk of developing the condition in certain joints. These risk factors include:

Knees:
being overweight; having a previous knee injury; jobs involving kneeling; climbing and squatting

Hips:
being overweight; having a previous hip injury; jobs involving lifting heavy loads (including farming); a family history of osteoarthritis

Hands:
a family history of OA; repetitive use or previous injuries to the hands; being overweight.

In rheumatoid arthritis, like many other autoimmune diseases, it is not known what causes the immune system to attack its own body. It is known, however, that rheumatoid arthritis is more common in people who smoke and/or have a family history of arthritis.

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Can diet affect arthritis?

While there is no diet that will cure osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, having a balanced and healthy diet aimed at maintaining an ideal body weight is recommended, as excess weight can put strain on joints.

Research suggests that consuming healthy fats like monounsaturated and omega-3 fats can alleviate the symptoms of arthritis, as opposed to consuming unhealthy fats such as polysaturated fats.

Some people suggest that acidic fruits, such as lemons, oranges and grapefruit, and nightshade vegetables, such as potatoes, eggplants and capsicum, can make symptoms worse. There is currently no evidence to support this claim, and eliminating these foods from your diet may actually have negative consequences.

If you need help with adjusting your diet, ask your doctor to refer you to a dietitian.

How to prevent arthritis

When it comes to arthritis prevention, it is not possible to say exactly how arthritis can be prevented, although there are some factors that you can control that are thought to contribute to the development of arthritis. To help arthritis prevention, you could consider the following:

Losing weight, as excessive weight can put added strain on joints.

Avoid activities that involve repetitive movements of a particular joint.

Try to avoid damaging a joint during activities by using protective equipment.

Stop smoking if you already smoke.

Don’t drink too much alcohol.

Keep physically active.

How can arthritis be treated?

Treatments for osteoarthritis vary depending on which joints are affected and the severity of your condition. There is no one treatment-fits-all approach, and it is impossible to determine which arthritis pain relief treatment will work best for you. Each treatment has its own benefits and risks, so a conversation with your doctor is crucial in helping to find an arthritis joint pain treatment plan that works for you.

When it comes to rheumatoid arthritis, a rheumatologist will need to tailor your treatment to your symptoms and the severity of your condition and may involve one or more medicines.

Can arthritis be managed without medication?

It is important to remember that medication for joint pain is not the only option you have. When it comes to treatment, there is no single best pain relief for arthritis or best single medication for arthritis pain.

Treatment for arthritis can also take the form of physical and medical interventions. Read on to learn about the various physical and lifestyle modifications that can help provide arthritis pain relief.

Physical treatments and lifestyle modifications

When it comes to arthritis joint pain treatment, there are many physical treatments and modifications you can make to help provide pain relief for joints. Whether you are after hip arthritis treatment or knee pain relief, several physical interventions may provide pain relief for arthritis and your specific condition.

Regular exercise

Exercising regularly can be one of the most effective ways that you can treat arthritis. Exercise can help in many ways, including helping with balance, keeping your muscles strong to support the joints, reducing joint stiffness, reducing pain and tension in your joints, decreasing fatigue and depression, keeping you mobile, boosting your energy and mood, and improving sleep.

If you have osteoarthritis, it is important to remember to take it easy – a moderate exercise program can be far better for you than a strenuous program as too much exercise can cause further pain and joint degeneration.

Before taking on any exercise program, be sure to speak to your doctor or healthcare professional for advice.

Regular exercise also helps with maintaining an ideal weight, because any extra weight puts added strain on your joints, especially on load-bearing joints such as your hips, knee, and ankles.

Lifestyle modifications to make life easier on your joints

If you have arthritis, it can help if you protect your joints from further damage by finding better techniques or equipment for doing daily tasks, which can offer a surprising level of pain relief for joints.

Look for items and equipment that can help you do everyday things easier, reducing the strain on your joints. For example, there are products and equipment that can help:

Turn doorknobs and keys more easily, with easily gripped areas.
Reach for and pick up objects to avoid over-exerting joints.
Get in and out of chairs more easily.
Get dressed more easily, helping with over-exerting joints.
Prepare food, including opening containers and doing things more efficiently.
Make household cleaning more easily manageable and less strenuous.
Manage in the bathroom.

Other physical therapies

There are other therapies such as massage, acupuncture, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) or mindfulness techniques that may help provide pain relief for joints.

In people with osteoarthritis, if your symptoms are no longer controlled with other therapies, you may need to undergo joint replacement surgery, which requires referral from your GP and a specialist.

Medications

It is very important that you speak to your doctor to find the right medication that works for you. When it comes to medication for arthritis pain, there are many different medications that can provide pain relief for joints, including arthritis pain relief cream, over-the-counter pain relief for joints, and medicines only available on prescription.

Over-the-counter pain relief

At the pharmacy, you can access several different types of medication for arthritis pain to provide arthritis pain relief including various arthritis creams and over-the-counter medicines, which can help with pain relief for joints.

Arthritis pain relief creams often contain active ingredients that aim to provide relief to the affected area and can be used in various joints, such as your knee to provide knee pain relief or hands. Sometimes, arthritis pain relief creams might not be suitable for all conditions, such as for use as a hip arthritis treatment, because the joint is not in an area where the arthritis cream is able to penetrate easily.

In terms of other pain relief for arthritis available at the pharmacy, there are over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicines such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory that may provide pain relief for joints. Remember that you should always speak to your doctor, pharmacist, or other healthcare professional regarding medicines.

At the pharmacy, you can also find other arthritis joint pain treatments like braces, walking sticks, and shoe insoles which may help ease the pressure on your joints.

Prescription medication for arthritis pain

You should always speak to your doctor regarding any medication for arthritis pain, as your doctor will help you get the right treatment to manage your symptoms.

Your doctor may prescribe you the best pain relief for arthritis they can, which may include prescription pain relievers or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. If you have rheumatoid arthritis, you may need to see a rheumatologist who may prescribe steroid medicines or injections, as well as medicines called disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs).

If you and your doctor have exhausted all available arthritis pain relief medication and other forms of arthritis joint pain treatments have failed, they may suggest plant-based medicine for arthritis pain. This is usually left as a last resort, as the effectiveness and safety of plant-based medicine for arthritis pain are poorly understood.

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Greencare is an independent telehealth clinic who are not affiliated with Levin Health.

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FAQs

Can arthritis be cured?

While treatments to manage the symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis have improved dramatically over the last few decades, there are no medicines that can cure the condition.

With early diagnosis and treatment, many treatments can help delay or limit damage to the joint, but no treatment can reverse the damage.

Below you will find an independent telehealth clinic with a team of healthcare professionals who are trained and experienced in arthritis pain relief.

Book today if you wish to consult a healthcare professional who can help you on your journey to achieve pain relief for joints.

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Book Telehealth

If you are struggling with arthritis, it’s important you speak with a healthcare professional for advice. Greencare is an independent telehealth clinic offering consultations with doctors and nurse practitioners who specialise in the management of arthritis. If you want to talk about your condition and alternative treatment options that may be available for you, you can click below to book an appointment with a healthcare professional.

Greencare is an independent telehealth clinic who are not affiliated with Levin Health.

Levin Health provides links to independent clinics that provide telehealth services for patients around Australia. Always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health professionals with any questions regarding your health, medical condition, or whether a particular treatment is right for you.

Other types of Chronic Pain

View all >

Click below to learn more about each condition, traditional treatments, and alternative options you may wish to consider.

Sports Injuries

The pain can make it hard to be a regular mum and play with my sons.
Lauren Jackson – Basketball Hall of Fame Player

Back Pain

About 10 or so years ago, I fell off a bike riding with my son and hurt my back.
Damien Hardwick – 3x AFL Premiership Coach

Nerve Pain

After a long career riding horses professionally, I suffer from nerve pain in my arm.
Damien Oliver - Champion Jockey

Headaches

I have migraines every day and they’re so intense that I find it very hard to help look after my grandchildren.
Real person's testimonial. Illustrative picture.

Osteoarthritis

The pain in my joints made it tough to keep doing what I love.
Jenn Morris – Hockey Gold Medallist

Post-surgical pain

Playing professional rugby league for 15 years resulted in my body suffering a lot of trauma.
Andrew Johns – NRL Immortal

Sleep Disorders

I've witnessed both personally and amongst fellow players the toll that competitive sports can take on the body.
Andrew Bogut – NBA Champion

References:

Arthritis Australia. Rheumatoid arthritis fact sheet. https://arthritisaustralia.com.au/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Rheumatoid-Arthritis-Information-Sheet-Sep20.pdf
Arthritis Australia. Osteoarthritis fact sheet. https://arthritisaustralia.com.au/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Osteoarthritis_New-updated.pdf
Better Health Channel. Arthritis Explained. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/arthritis
HealthDirect. Arthritis. https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/arthritis#treated