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31 Results for search "Arthritis: Misc.".

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Few of us need to be given more reasons to drop those extra pounds. We could do it for our hearts or our chins, for lower medical bills or freer spirits. But did you know you should also do it for your joints? The fact is, being overweight increases your risk of degenerative arthritis in the weight-bearing joints, especially the knees. According to the U.S. Surgeon General's Office, your odds of...

When Charlie Jannings, MD, talks about the value of exercise, you have to take him seriously. After all, the man is a kickboxer. He's also the reigning male athlete of the year at the Big Sky State Games, an Olympic-style event that attracts thousands of Montanans of all ages: He won four gold medals in his age group. All in all, you could say he's fairly fit for a 75-year-old. A specialist in bo...

Your knee feels sore and stiff when you wake up in the morning. After an hour of creaking and groaning, it finally decides to loosen up for the rest of the day. The pattern repeats itself the next day. And the next. At this point, you have two choices: Put up with the pain or get some help. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 46 million Americans have b...

Baby boomers everywhere are just starting to approach what they thought they never would: old age. Lots of the people born between 1946 and 1964 (the dictionary definition of a boomer) are now eligible for senior citizen discounts at restaurants. Many have grandchildren. And many have sore, creaky joints, the ultimate badge of aging. At 41, Chris Webb of Billings, Montana, was at the younger end ...

Twelve older women are sitting in a shallow swimming pool while the strains of Swan Lake rise in the background. An extended family of bright yellow rubber ducks bobs around the pool as Maria Antonietta Nevarez leads the group through a simulated bicycle exercise. "Okay, close your eyes: Where are we riding to today?" she asks the group. "We're in Golden Gate Park -- there are irises growing on th...

Alternative remedies for arthritis are nothing new. Folklore is full of potions and poultices that supposedly relieve joint pain, and the advent of modern medicine hasn't dampened the public's interest. If anything, arthritis patients are more adventuresome than ever before. It's no surprise that so many arthritis sufferers are willing to venture beyond the bounds of mainstream medicine, says Joh...

Imagine two people with identical cases of arthritis. Even on x-rays their joints look exactly alike, and every test comes back with the same results. The only difference: One person is in agony, while the other has relatively little pain. Many people assume there's a one-to-one relationship between arthritis and pain, meaning if damage to the joints is severe, so is the pain. The truth is more c...

More people in the United States visit an orthopedic surgeon because of knee problems than for any other complaint. Knee pain results in more than 12 million visits to a doctor's office a year, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Down the road, many of these folks will end up with osteoarthritis in their damaged knee joints, facing knee replacements and other surgeries. But...

We ask a lot of our joints. We bend and twist all day and think nothing of it -- until arthritis sets in. More than 50 million Americans were living with arthritis or chronic joint symptoms and with a rapidly aging population, that number is expected to jump to nearly 70 million by 2030. "Arthritis" literally means joint inflammation, and can refer to any condition that causes pain and stiffness ...

Like chlamydia, the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea can infiltrate the joints of unwitting victims and cause arthritis. Typically this condition, called gonococcal arthritis, is more common in women than in men. The reason is that most men who get gonorrhea have prominent symptoms, including extreme pain during urination. Not surprisingly, they are likely to see a doctor immediately for tre...

Many arthritis sufferers complain of a little stiffness in the morning. Then there's Jane Kowalski,* an 83-year-old living in Baltimore. She often woke up feeling like her joints had been dipped in cement. On some mornings, she couldn't even get out of bed without help. Now Kowalski has a new way to start the day. Instead of lying there helpless, she takes the time to stretch all of her muscles b...

Most people with chronic arthritis will readily admit they have trouble with certain tasks such as climbing long flights of stairs or opening tight jar lids. But there's another challenge that often goes unmentioned. The pain, stiffness, and fatigue caused by arthritis can interfere with a person's sex life or even bring it to a halt, says Annette Owens, MD, PhD, a sex counselor and cofounder of t...

If you don't suffer from osteoarthritis, take a moment to consider your good fortune. An estimated 50 million Americans suffer from arthritis or chronic joint symptoms -- and the Centers for Disease Control expect that number to balloon to nearly 70 million by 2030. You should also think about your future. Are you doing everything you can to protect your joints? Osteoarthritis is the kind of arth...

Nine people walk in a circle, obeying the commands of instructor Nancy Kieffer. "Imagine a cup of water on the crown of your head," she calls out. The directive may seem like something out of a 1950s charm school guide for perfect posture, but for this particular warm-up exercise, balance is the key element. The class is Tai Chi, and the students are practicing the ancient Chinese martial art to g...

Whether you're having total joint replacement or just a minor repair of damaged cartilage, you should learn as much as possible about the procedure before you enter the operating room. Try to find a surgeon who has extensive experience with the operation you'll be having, and be sure to ask plenty of questions. One in particular should be at the top of your list: What will this surgery actually ac...

Experts have discovered a cheap, powerful tool that can relieve pain, improve motion, and generally make life a little easier for people with arthritis. It's powerful enough to relieve many symptoms of both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, yet safe enough to use every other day. It's convenient and inexpensive, and when used properly, causes no unpleasant side effects. It's called a barbel...

Few of us need to be given more reasons to drop those extra pounds. We could do it for our hearts or our chins, for lower medical bills or freer spirits. But did you know you should also do it for your joints? The fact is, being overweight increases your risk of degenerative arthritis in the weight-bearing joints, especially the knees. According to the U.S. Surgeon General's Office, your odds of...

Joshua Heller wasn't worried when he noticed a painless knot below his right ankle in February 1994. A couple of months later, he felt a dull ache in his right foot, but the 26-year-old chef continued working his usual long hours at his family's seaside restaurant. In his spare time, he played racquetball and coached two local sports teams. By summer, periodic shooting pains in his instep forced ...

What is gout? Of all the things that can go wrong with a joint, perhaps nothing's more painful than gout. Vinnie Campasano of San Francisco can testify to that. Campasano, now 48, had his first excruciating experience with the disease 15 years ago. That night he went to bed with a slight tingling in his big toe and woke up vaguely aware of some pain. But when his foot hit the floor, he crumpled ...

The typical arthritis sufferer has at least a few gray hairs, a wrinkle here and there, and joints that have started to wear out after decades of use. But not every person with arthritis fits that profile. Some forms of arthritis can strike children or even infants. Arthritis may seem like a cruel fate for a young person, but many children cope admirably with their disease. With treatment and supp...

For nearly 20 years, social worker Susan Mason suffered from mysterious and debilitating muscle pain throughout most of her body. Time and time again, doctors told Mason that she just had the flu, or that she was depressed and the aches would eventually go away on their own. But they never did. "It just hurt too badly for me to believe there wasn't something wrong," Mason says. Finally in 1999, d...

When we think of invading bacteria, we usually don't think of our joints as a potential target. But if there's an infection somewhere in your body, the germs can travel through your bloodstream to attack a joint. Bacteria can also enter a joint directly, either right after surgery or from an injury, for example. Either way, the infected joint becomes swollen, inflamed, and painful. Doctors call th...

What is rheumatoid arthritis? On the surface, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) looks like a close relative of osteoarthritis, a condition all too familiar to many older people. Both conditions make joints stiff and sore, but that's where the similarity ends. Its cause and its destructiveness put rheumatoid arthritis in a class by itself. What's the difference? Unlike osteoarthritis -- a condition brou...

Most people with chronic arthritis will readily admit they have trouble with certain tasks such as climbing long flights of stairs or opening tight jar lids. But there's another challenge that often goes unmentioned. The pain, stiffness, and fatigue caused by arthritis can interfere with a person's sex life or even bring it to a halt, says Annette Owens, MD, PhD, a sex counselor and co-founder of...

Questions Patients May Want to Ask Their Doctors about Arthritis 1. What is the difference between arthritis and rheumatic disease? 2. Are there several types of arthritis? 3. Does it affect all joints in the body? 4. Does it only affect older people? 5. What can I take for pain relief? 6. Will I have to take this pain medication for life? 7. How is arthritis diagnosed? 8. What kinds of tests will...

What is osteoarthritis? Osteoarthritis, by far the most common form of arthritis among older people, is a condition brought on partly by aging and long-term wear-and-tear in the joints. After years of use, the cartilage that cushions the joints can break down until bone rubs against bone. Spurs often grow on the sides of the affected bones, which only adds to the pain. Osteoarthritis is rarely c...

Osteoarthritis -- the condition caused by decades of wear and tear in the joints -- is a fact of life for tens of millions of older Americans. Some people experience very few symptoms, but pain and stiffness force many others to adjust their lives. Fortunately, osteoarthritis is rarely crippling, and almost everyone can find a way to relieve joint pain and increase range of motion. Take our short ...

If you have arthritis, you should give your joints plenty of rest. Just make sure the rest doesn't turn into a permanent vacation. Even though your joints may complain, you need to keep them moving from time to time. In fact, regular exercise is one of the best arthritis remedies around. Your doctor can help you find an exercise program that's right for you. In the meantime, take this short quiz t...

Questions Patients With Gout May Want to Ask Their Doctors 1. What is gout? 2. Why is it so painful? 3. What causes it? 4. Is gout hereditary? 5. What does it mean to have a high level of uric acid? 6. How is it diagnosed? 7. How can I keep it under control? 8. What is a tophus? 9. How do you treat an acute gout attack? 10. What is the long-term treatment plan? 11. Will I have to take ...

For many years, veterinarians routinely gave glucosamine to racehorses to help preserve their joints over years of pounding the track. Now scientists are studying whether glucosamine, a compound that your body uses to make cartilage, can help people as well. For 40 years, European researchers have been studying whether taking glucosamine in supplement form can help relieve arthritis pain and rebui...

There's no shortage of medications that can offer relief to people with arthritis. But with so many options to choose from, it's important that you get the right medication for your particular situation. Each drug has potential drawbacks to go along with the benefits. No matter what medication your doctor recommends, make sure you understand the risks and follow the instructions exactly. Differen...