Arthritis means the inflammation of one or more joints. Where two or more bone meets called joint and are responsible for the movement of legs or hands. The joints space like our knee, hip, elbow are surrounded by a capsular structure called Synovial capsule. The inner layer of the synovial capsule is called the synovial membrane. The synovial membrane secretes some fluids and fills the capsule called synovial fluid. the function synovial fluid is to keep the articulated joint surface lubricated and slippery for smooth movement. The external part synovial capsule is surrounded by various ligaments (the band like structure ) which are joined between the two connecting bones and tendons ( the long fibrous tough rounded strip-like structure formed at the end of muscles) of muscles. Inside the synovial capsule the two end of the jointed bones are not simply contacted with each other, but a thick spongy layer present in between the two end of the bone, which is called the cartilage. That spongy plate-like structure, the cartilage prevents the bone end from getting contact each other and from friction during movement. 

Joint Structure

Types of Arthritis

There are 100 types of arthritis. Among them, the 2 common arthritis are OSTEOARTHRITIS and RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS. 

OSTEOARTHRITIS

The Osteoarthritis is mostly affected middle age to old age group. In osteoarthritis, the lining cartilage that present in between the two end of bones in the joint space get thinned and as a result, the bones come in direct contact to each other during movement. So the bones get damage and there is pain and cracking sound is found when you walk or climbing a staircase.

Normal and osteoarthritis joint 

RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

The Rheumatoid arthritis is another type of major arthritis. Here the changes occur inside the joint capsule (synovial capsule) at the synovial membrane. The synovial membrane gets thickened and the thickness gradually spread in all synovial membrane and also attack the cartilage and bones too. That makes the joint in a fixed position. In rheumatoid arthritis, the common symptoms are pain and swelling of joints. The stiffness of joints. The stiffness is more at morning. When the disease progress there is damaged of joints part inside. 

Normal joint and Rheumatoid arthritis Joint

TREATMENT AND MANAGMENT ASPECT OF OSTEOARTHRITIS AND RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS

  • Regarding medicinal treatment, the pain and stiffness of the joints should be addressed so that the person can feel comfortable and move. There are various treatments to reduce the pain and stiffness. There are good homeopathy medicines that can reduce the pain substantially in a short period of time. The major positive aspect of homeopathy medicines are those give a long-standing relieve for years together in comparison to other treatment who gives a short term relieve of  few hours and need to continue daily. Another important aspect of homeopathy medicine in osteoarthritis is it does not give any kind of drug side effects at all, so very safe for all types of patient. The homeopathy treatment does not treat the disease symptoms only  but help to make the person a healthy as a whole by preserving health. There is no drug dependency in homeopathy treatment so can be used by any age group without any fear. 
  • Lifestyle changes-Lifestyle changes are important for all types of arthritis. Exercise helps to relieve joint stiffness, reduce pain and fatigue,and improve muscle and bone strength.  The exercise program may include daily morning walk. 
  • Heat or ice application- heat or ice application whatever make you feel better can apply to relieve the pain.
  • Splints or orthotics – splints or orthotics can apply to support joints and help improve their position. Massage the joints with any medicinal oil to keep the inflamed area south.
  • Get plenty of sleep. Sleeping 8 to 10 hours a night and taking naps during the day can help you recover from a flare-up more quickly, and may even help prevent flare-ups.
  • Avoid staying in one position for too long.
  • Avoid positions or movements that place extra stress on your sore joints.
  • Try stress-reducing activities, such as meditation, yoga, pranayama etc
  • Eat a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables, which contain important vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin E.
  • Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as cold water fish (salmon, mackerel, and herring), flaxseed, rapeseed (canola) oil, soybeans, soybean oil, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts.