Rheumatism Arthritis Treatment

While there is no cure for rheumatism arthritis, medical experts are now certain that individuals may be genetically pre-disposed to the condition. Despite medical solutions, individuals may want to adopt physical therapy and alternate treatments for rheumatism arthritis.

• Your doctor might recommend a visit to a physical therapist. A few simple exercises prescribed by the therapist may help joint flexibility. In case of pain or discomfort of the joints, your therapist may help you come up with solutions or ideas to perform everyday activities without putting too much pressure or stress on your inflamed joints.

• The physical therapist may also introduce you to assisting devices which can help you grip objects better. A walking stick could mean less pressure on the knees and ankles to support your weight. Your doctor and therapist may also recommend moderate intensity exercises like swimming, water aerobics, walking, and so on to lose weight, in case you are overweight. Obesity in patients with rheumatism arthritis can complicate or worsen the condition.

• Oral medication may include anti-inflammatory drugs and cortisone induced steroids to slow the process of joint damage and reduce chronic pain and immunosuppressant drugs to control the function of the immune system and its response to the joints. However, all these medications have moderate to severe side effects. All medication must follow prescription and strict supervision of your doctor.

• Severely damaged joints may require corrective surgery.

• A few self-care tips such could be followed to keep the pain at bay. One should avoid cigarettes which are known to increase pain in rheumatism arthritis patients. Besides this, exercising daily, and finding ways to relax and de-stress your body can help slow down the onslaught of rheumatoid arthritis and keep the pain under control.

• A warm or cold compress would help relieve the pain in case of a rheumatism arthritis attack. Warm compresses or a hot water shower may relieve the pain in the arm and leg joints. On the other hand, some individuals find that cold compresses numb the painful flare-ups and decrease the spasms.
While the debilitating pain of rheumatism arthritis may seem to interfere with your everyday activities, do try to control your physical life. Make time for regular exercise; but also ensure that you let your body rest. Rheumatism arthritis could cause muscle weakness and fatigue.
Participate in your local support groups or arthritis chapter or connect with individuals suffering from the same conditions on national arthritis communities online. They will keep you updated on any new treatment, therapy, or prevention tips that might help.
Rheumatism arthritis should not put a stop or limit your everyday lifestyle. With proper care and prevention, you can prolong the health of your joints and take control of the pain.

Palindromic Rheumatism

The older rheumatism definition included any pain in the muscles, joints, tendons and bones. This was then corrected due to advancement in modern medicine where any specific pain in the joints is defined as rheumatoid arthritis.

Another painful condition that may often be mistaken for rheumatism arthritis is Palindromic rheumatism or PR. Referred to as the Hench-Rosenberg syndrome after the two medical experts who suggested the medical term, this painful joint condition seems to recur over a period of time. In fact, the linguistic term palindrome applies to words like Mom, Dad, gag, and so on, which mean the same if you read them in either direction. In this case, it signifies a back and forth reaction. Palindromic rheumatism describes the back and forth pain of this condition.

Palindromic rheumatism may also seem like a ‘moving’ condition. It may affect several different joints at once or may recur in different joints over a period giving the impression that the pain is moving through the various joints. The biggest difference between Palindromic rheumatism and rheumatism arthritis is that the former does not cause any permanent joint damage and may also occur in soft tissues away from the joints.
It is very difficult to predict and diagnose Palindromic rheumatism since the swelling and pain may last for a few hours or a few days and then subside. Between Palindromic rheumatism attacks, there is no trace at all of swelling and inflammation. Many individuals who suffer from Palindromic rheumatism may go on to develop rheumatoid arthritis or arthritis of the bones. Hence, a wrong diagnosis may occur in the case of different types of arthritis.

Causes of rheumatism

The varios causes of rheumatism are:

-Poisoning of blood with acid wastes
-Physically stressful work
-Damp weather conditioner
-Acid-alkaline imbalance (Acidosis)

Natural home remedies for rheumatism

The word Rheumatism is derived from the Greek word “rheuma” that means a swelling. It is the painful state of the supporting structures of the body like muscles, ligaments, tendons and joints. It is an acute and chronic illness that affects people of all ages and of both the sexes. It is the most common cause of valvular organic disease of the heart as it extends to the heart, the valves and the lining of the heart becomes inflamed. It can be grouped under two classes or types.
Muscular rheumatism affects the muscles and is less common among people.
Articular rheumatism
affects the joints and is mostly found common among children and young people in acute form. In the chronic form it mostly affects the adults.

Rheumatism

Rheumatism or rheumatic disorder is a non-specific term for medical problems affecting the joints and connective tissue.The study of, and therapeutic interventions in, such disorders is called rheumatology.

Terminology

The term "rheumatism" is still used in colloquial speech and historical contexts, but is no longer frequently used in medical or technical literature; there is no longer any recognized disorder simply called "rheumatism." Some countries use the word Rheumatism to describe fibromyalgia syndrome. The traditional term covers such a range of different problems that to ascribe symptoms to "rheumatism" is not to say very much. Nevertheless, sources dealing with rheumatism tend to focus on arthritis. However, "non-articular rheumatism", also known as "regional pain syndrome" or "soft tissue rheumatism" can cause significant discomfort and difficulty. Furthermore, arthritis and rheumatism between them cover at least 200 different conditions.
The term "Rheumatic Diseases" is used in MeSH to refer to connective tissue disorders.
Palindromic rheumatism has been theorized to be a form of rheumatoid arthritis.

Treatment

A vast number of traditional herbal remedies were recommended for "rheumatism". Modern medicine, both conventional and complementary, recognises that the different rheumatic disorders have different causes (and several of them have multiple causes) and require different kinds of treatment.
Nevertheless, initial therapy of the major rheumatological diseases is with analgesics, such as paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), members of which are ibuprofen and diclofenac. Often, stronger analgesics are required.

"Rheumatism" and weather

There has long been said to be a link between "rheumatic" pain and the weather. There appears to be no firm evidence in favour or against; a 1995 questionnaire given to 557 people by A. Naser and others at the Brigham and Women's Hospital's Pain Management Center concludes that "changes in barometric pressure are the main link between weather and pain. Low pressure is generally associated with cold, wet weather and an increase in pain. Clear, dry conditions signal high pressure and a decrease in pain".