a The Gold Age Group - Rheumoatiod Arthritis

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RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

What is Rheumatoid arthritis?

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, inflammatory autoimmune disorder that causes the immune system to attack the joints. It is a disabling and painful inflammatory condition, which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and muscles.

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To understand how rheumatoid arthritis develops you need to understand how a normal joint works. A joint is where two bones meet. Most of our joints are designed to allow the bones to move in certain directions. For example, the knee is the largest joint in the body, and also one of the most complicated because it has many important jobs. It must be strong enough to take our weight and must lock into position so we can stand upright. But it also has to act as a hinge so we can walk. It must withstand extreme stresses, twists and turns, such as when we run or play sports. Figure 1 shows a normal joint. The end of each bone is covered with cartilage which has a very smooth slippery surface. The cartilage allows the ends of the bones to move against each other almost without friction. It also acts as a shock absorber. The joint is surrounded by a membrane (the synovium) which produces a small amount of thick fluid (synovial fluid). This fluid acts as a lubricant to keep the cartilage slippery and help the joint to move smoothly. The synovium has a tough outer layer of ligaments called the capsule which holds the joint in place and stops the bones moving too much.

The changes that take place in rheumatoid arthritis are shown in Figure 2. Inflammation takes place within the synovium. The result is very similar to inflammation which you may have seen taking place within your eye – it goes red, it swells, it 'cries', and it hurts. The redness is caused by the flow of blood increasing. As a result, the inflamed joint may feel warmer than usual. The swelling is caused by a build-up of fluid and cells in the synovium. When a joint 'cries' it produces excess fluid – not tears but synovial fluid – which remains inside the joint, resulting in swelling. The joint hurts for two reasons:

- Nerve endings are irritated by the chemicals produced by the inflammation.
- The capsule is stretched by the swelling in the joint.

How does rheumatoid arthritis affect different people?
Our bodies normally produce inflammation to destroy things, such as bacteria, which cause illness. We do not know what sets off the inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis, but the result is the same – unfortunately, in this case it is not bacteria or other harmful substances which are attacked but the tissues in the joints. The inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis causes damage to the cartilage and sometimes to the bone itself. It may also damage any ligaments within the joints. The extent to which this happens varies a great deal from person to person. Some people have little or no damage to the joints, or suffer only very minor damage to a few joints. Most people with rheumatoid arthritis have some damage in a number of joints, and a few – about 1 in 20 (5%) of those with rheumatoid arthritis – have quite severe damage in a lot of joints. The joints which are most likely to be affected by rheumatoid arthritis are shown in Figure 3.

Once joints have been damaged by inflammation they do not heal very well. Because of this, modern treatment tries to suppress the inflammation as much as possible in order to limit the damage which occurs. Suppressing inflammation early is one of the important ways in which treatment of rheumatoid arthritis has advanced and is one reason why treatment is more effective than it used to be.

Rheumatoid arthritis does not just affect the joints. Tendons are like ropes which run inside lubricated tubes. The lubricating system is very similar to that in the joints themselves, so it is not surprising that tendons can also be affected by rheumatoid arthritis. In a few people, other parts of the body such as the lungs and the blood vessels may become inflamed.

Inflammation in the joints can make some people feel generally ill. Sometimes this leads to overwhelming tiredness or fatigue, which may be as difficult, or even more difficult, to cope with than the painful joints. 'Feeling tired' is a symptom which may get little sympathy from those around you, who must be told that this is an important symptom of rheumatoid arthritis.

One problem with rheumatoid arthritis is that the symptoms tend to come and go with no particular pattern. You may have 'flare-ups' – periods when the joints become more inflamed and painful. Sometimes this has an obvious cause – either physical, such as unaccustomed physical exertion or another illness, or emotional, such as bereavement. Usually, though, there is no obvious cause, however hard you think about possible triggers. This unpredictability is frustrating and makes it difficult to plan ahead.

Rheumatoid arthritis can be a serious disease with a lot of symptoms. But most people, especially if they receive appropriate treatment, will have relatively few symptoms, and will be able to lead full, normal lives.

How can rheumatoid arthritis be treated?
So far no one yet has found a cure for rheumatoid arthritis, but treatment is improving all the time. There are three main ways of treating rheumatoid arthritis:

1. Taking care of your joints, most sufferers find treatments such as massage helpful as it relaxes and open the joints.

2. Treatment with drugs Many people are worried about taking drugs because of the risks of side-effects.

3. Surgery This is occasionally needed. Operations vary from quite minor ones such as the release of a nerve or a tendon to major surgery such as joint replacement.

When using our therapy on a regular basis many of our clients have reported sustained symptomatic relief from this and many other health ailments.

Client reported benefits for Rheumatoid arthritis include:

Reduced pain levels by relaxing associated muscle tissue.
Increased mobility and range of movement.
Decreased Fluid Retention.

Medical research on the benefits of Massage for Arthritis:
Clients with arthritis were massaged by their 15 minutes a day for 30 days (and a control group engaged in relaxation therapy). The children’s anxiety and stress hormone (cortisol) levels were immediately decreased by the massage, and over the 30-day period their pain decreased on self-reports, parent reports, and their physician’s reports. Field, T., Hernandez-Reif, M., Seligman, S., Krasnegor, J. & Sunshine, W. (1997). Arthritis: Benefits from massage therapy. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 22, 607-617.

To read more about our therapy click here or to learn more about the general benefits of massage therapy click here

To see if you can receive similar or possibly even better results why not take us up on our offer of a free in-home demonstration.

Remember you have nothing to lose but your pain and just like many of our current clients in the years to come you could be reporting back to us your improved quality of life.