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Skeletal – Part 7
Arthritis
 The term arthritis describes over
100 different inflammatory or
degenerative diseases that damage the joints.

In all its forms, arthritis is the most widespread, crippling
disease in the US.


1 out of 7 Americans suffer its ravages.
All forms of arthritis have the same initial symptoms:
Pain, stiffness, and swelling of the joint.
 Then, depending on the specific form, certain changes in the joint
occur.

Types of Arthritis
Acute Forms of Arthritis
1.



Usually result from bacterial invasion.
Are treated with antibiotic drugs.
The synovial membrane thickens and fluid production
decreases, leading to increased friction and pain.
2. Chronic Forms of Arthritis
 Include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gouty
arthritis.
Osteoarthritis
 Osteoarthritis – “Wear-and-
tear arthritis”; Chronic,
degenerative condition that
typically affects the aged.
 Most common form of
arthritis.
 Affects the articular
cartilages.



Softening, fraying, and eventual
breakdown of the cartilage.
The exposed bone thickens and
extra bone tissue, called bone
spurs, grow.
The bone spurs protrude into the
joint cavity, which restricts joint
movement.
Osteoarthritis: Symptoms
 Symptoms:
 Stiffness on arising that lessens with activity.
 The affected joints may make a crunching noise (crepitus)
when moved.
 Joints most commonly affected: Fingers, the cervical and
lumbar joints of the spine,
and the knees and hips.
 Usually slow and
irreversible, but it is
rarely crippling.
Osteoarthritis: Treatments
 In most cases, its symptoms are
controllable with:
1.
2.
3.
A mild analgesic such as aspirin
Moderate activity to maintain joint
mobility
Rest when the joint becomes very
painful
 Some people claim that rubbing
capsaicin (a hot pepper extract) and
taking glucosamine helps relieve
joint pain.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
 Rheumatoid Arthritis – A chronic inflammatory
disorder.



Onset is insidious and
usually occurs between
the ages of 40-50.
It affects three times as
many women as men.
Joints affected: Fingers,
wrists, ankles, and feet.

Joints are usually affected
in a symmetrical manner.
 For example, if the right elbow is affected, most likely the left
elbow will be affected also.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
 Is an autoimmune disorder.
 A disorder in which the body’s immune system attempts to
destroy its own tissues.
Progression of Rheumatoid Arthritis
1.
2.
3.
4.
Inflammation of the
synovial membranes.
Membranes thicken and the
joints swell as synovial fluid
accumulates.
Inflammatory cells enter the
joint cavity and produce
pannus, an abnormal tissue
that clings to and erodes
articular cartilage.
Scar tissue forms and
eventually ossifies, and the
bone ends become firmly
fused and often deformed.
Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis
All stages involve restricted joint movement
2. Extreme pain
1.
 Not all cases progress
to the crippling stage.
Rheumatoid Arthritis: Treatments
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Powerful drugs that can neutralize the
inflammatory chemicals in the joint space and
(hopefully) prevent joint deformity.
Aspirin (anti-inflammatory agent)
Exercise to maintain as much joint mobility as
possible.
Cold packs to relieve the swelling and pain.
Heat to relieve morning stiffness.
Replacement joints are the last
resort.
Gouty Arthritis
 Gouty Arthritis (Gout) –
Disease in which uric acid
accumulates in the blood
and may be deposited as needle-shaped crystals in
the soft tissues of joints.



Uric acid is a normal waste product of nucleic acid
metabolism.
Most common in males and rarely appears before the age of
30.
Tends to run in the family, so genetic factors are definitely
implicated.
Gouty Arthritis: Symptoms
•
Symptoms:
1.
2.
Leads to an agonizing painful attack that
typically affects a single joint, often in the great
toe.
Untreated gout can be very destructive: the
bone ends fuse and the joint becomes
immobilized.
Gouty Arthritis: Treatments
•
Treatments:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Several drugs are successful in preventing
acute gout attacks.
Patients are advised to lose weight if obese.
Avoid foods high in nucleic acids such as liver,
kidneys, and sardines.
Avoid alcohol, which inhibits the excretion of
uric acid by the kidneys.
Long-Term Bone Health
 It cannot be emphasized enough that bones have to
be physically stressed to remain healthy.


When we remain active physically and muscles and gravity pull
on the skeleton, the bones respond by becoming stronger.
If we are totally inactive, they become thin and fragile.
Osteoporosis
 Osteoporosis – Bone-thinning disease.
 Afflicts half of women over 65 and 20% of men over the age of
70.
 Makes the bones so fragile that even a hug or a sneeze can
cause bones to fracture.
 The bones of the spine
and the neck of the
femur are particularly
susceptible.
Causes of Osteoporosis
 Estrogen deficiency that occurs after menopause is
strongly implicated as the cause of osteoporosis.
 Other factors that may contribute to osteoporosis:


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Diet poor in calcium,
vitamin D, and
protein.
Smoking
Insufficient weightbearing exercise to
stress the bones.