Arthritis is a very common condition that negatively affects the lives of millions of Americans daily. Since most people only seek treatment until the symptoms become unbearable, there is no way to know how many Americans actually have arthritis. Health experts believe that around 24 percent of all adults have arthritis, but the true number is probably much higher.
There are two common types of arthritis that have very different root causes. Determining the cause of your joint pain is essential for properly treating it. Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic autoimmune disease that is caused by an imbalanced immune system.
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease that is caused by overuse. While both are typically referred to as “arthritis,” they are in fact different conditions.
We won’t even dive into the fact that there are actually over 100 types of arthritis for the sake of this article, but keep that in mind in case your symptoms and experience don’t perfectly align with the descriptions of these two more common forms of arthritis.
Understanding the differences between rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis can be the key to managing joint pain effectively. You’re going to need a lot more than acetaminophen to fight back against either form of arthritis.
What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder and inflammatory disease that basically causes your body to attack itself.
The primary function of your immune system is to protect your body from harmful invaders like bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens. Whenever your immune system perceives a threat, it releases white blood cells and other antibodies to attack and destroy it. It’s this response that protects you from deadly infections and diseases.
When you have rheumatoid arthritis, your immune system mistakenly perceives the soft lining of your joints as a threat. It will unleash its attack weapons on your joints, inflame the soft tissues, and cause fluid to build up in the area. The buildup of fluid around your joints can result in pain, swelling, stiffness, and a loss of flexibility.
What is Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disorder and is the most common form of arthritis.
The joints of your body are flexible connections between two of your bones. This connection allows for movement and prevents the bones from rubbing against each other. Each of your joints uses a strong semi-solid substance called cartilage that absorbs pressure and protects your bones.
When you have osteoarthritis, you’ll experience a breakdown and degradation of the cartilage in certain joints. The loss of cartilage can cause your bones to rub against each other, which can expose small nerves and cause pain, stiffness, muscle weakness, and a reduced range of motion.
How Do You Know Which Type of Arthritis You Have?
The word “arthritis'' gets used as an umbrella term to describe non-injury related joint pain. While that’s technically correct, there are many very different types of arthritis. You won’t be able to effectively treat your arthritis until you know which specific type that you’re dealing with.
These are a few questions that should be able to help you determine if you might have osteoarthritis.
When did you first notice symptoms?
Rheumatoid arthritis can start causing problems at any age. The symptoms will usually start up fairly suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere.
Osteoarthritis usually becomes a problem later in life. The symptoms will slowly start to get worse over the course of many years.
What are the symptoms?
Rheumatoid arthritis causes joint pain and swelling, but can also result in fever, rash, muscle aches, and general fatigue. Remember that rheumatoid arthritis is caused by an imbalanced immune system, so your entire body can experience symptoms. It’s not uncommon for the inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis to also affect your eyes, lungs, heart, circulatory system, mouth, and skin.
Osteoarthritis also causes joint pain and swelling, but it’s largely limited to a local area. In some cases, you might experience excessive bone growths called bone spurs in the affected joints. These tiny projections develop along the edges of your bones and can result in pain or reduced motion in the joint.
Where does it hurt?
Rheumatoid arthritis typically starts in the tiny joints located in your fingers. Since it can affect your entire body, the next area can be different for each person. You might suddenly start to experience symptoms in your wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, or feet. The symptoms are generally symmetrical, so you will most likely experience them in the same joints on both sides of your body.
Osteoarthritis is generally limited to specific joints that have been worn down over time. The weight-bearing joints will typically experience the most wear and tear, so your knees, hips, ankles, lower back, and neck are common hotspots. You can also develop osteoarthritis in your hands, fingers, and thumbs as they are often overused over the course of your life, especially if you work in manual labor. The symptoms follow no pattern and can be wildly asymmetrical. So you could end up experiencing symptoms in your right ankle, left knee, right elbow, and left shoulder.
How Do You Treat Arthritis?
A lot of people try to treat their arthritis at home. Taking ibuprofen and other NSAIDs can be helpful in reducing the swelling that commonly occurs with rheumatoid arthritis.
Losing weight can bring about several health benefits and reduce the pressure on joints with osteoarthritis.
These options can absolutely be beneficial, but treating arthritis can be a bit tricky. It’s best done with the supervision and guidance of a medical professional. They’ll review your medical history, perform a physical examination, and possibly conduct imaging tests. The medical experts will be able to determine the type of arthritis that you have and how severe it is.
You should schedule an appointment if you think that you might have rheumatoid arthritis. It’s possible to experience permanent joint damage within a year of symptoms first showing up.
These are a few of the potential treatment options that a doctor might recommend for each type of arthritis:
Treating rheumatoid arthritis
It’s much more difficult to treat rheumatoid arthritis and you will need to make several lifestyle changes.
The first part of treatment will be to take disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDS). These medications can help to reverse the chronic inflammation that you experience and help alleviate your symptoms. There are some potential side effects of using these medications, so you’ll need to regularly visit your prescribing doctor.
You will also generally need to make several lifestyle changes as well. You will need to eat a more balanced diet, exercise regularly, and maintain a healthy weight. It will probably be a good idea to use canes, walkers, or other assistive devices to help reduce the strain placed on your joints.
Treating osteoarthritis
The treatments for osteoarthritis will be much more specific and vary from person to person. Your doctor will need to review the specific circumstances of your case and determine the best course of action.
The most likely treatment will involve taking nonsteroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin are NSAIDs that you can buy over the counter. For more severe cases, your doctor might write a prescription for celecoxib, diclofenac, etodolac, or fenoprofen.
Applying heat or ice can help the muscles relax around the affected joint. This method is especially helpful for flare-ups that might occur after exercising or performing a physical activity. Speaking of exercise, you will need to strengthen the muscles around the affected joint. Stronger muscles can help offload some of the stress placed on your joint.
If these treatments are ineffective, your doctor might recommend surgery to replace all or parts of your affected joint.
How RexMD Can Help
Arthritis is a serious condition that can result in dramatic changes to your quality of life.
There are two different types of arthritis and each of them have their own unique characteristics. These two types of arthritis are not mutually exclusive so it’s possible that you could have both.
If you are experiencing chronic joint pain, then you may be interested in prescription medications. It could be the sign of an imbalanced immune system or the breakdown of a specific joint. The RexMD team is here to help.
