CONDITION: Inflammatory Arthritis

DESCRIPTION:
Arthritis technically refers to any painful inflammation of the joints. However, the term is used more generally for almost all joint problems. Inflammatory arthritis, on the other hand, refers to those conditions of the joints that involve the immune system and inflammation. For example, in osteoarthritis, the inflammation arises because the articular cartilage on the ends of bones has worn away. In rheumatoid arthritis, the joint lining becomes inflamed as part of a systemic disease. Inflammatory arthritis stiffness and pain usually appear first thing in the morning and after sitting still for a while. This distinguishes it from degenerative arthritis, in which the pain worsens at the end of the day and with activity.

How does inflammatory arthritis develop?
Many forms of inflammatory arthritis are autoimmune disorders, in which the body views its own tissues as foreign and reacts with inflammation. Autoimmune conditions include rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter’s Syndrome, psoriatic arthritis and arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel disease. Inflammatory arthritis can also be caused by certain types of bacteria as withreactive arthritis or by deposits of crystalline structures in the joints as with gout and pseudogout. In the case of gout or pseudogout, the body is unable to rid itself of sufficient amounts of these crystalline structures due to a metabolic defect that occurs with age. As a result, the excess waste product is deposited in the joints, usually the knee and the big toe, and very occasionally the spine.

What are the symptoms of inflammatory arthritis?
The characteristic symptoms of inflammatory arthritis are pain and swelling of one or more joints, which may be warmer than the other joints. Stiffness in the joints on getting up in the morning, or after sitting still for a while, is very common and sometimes the very first symptom. These symptoms may first appear after a minor illness such a sore throat or a cold, or they may even be associated with a period of emotional stress such as bereavement. Patients with inflammatory arthritis usually have multiple joint complaints, unlike someone with stenosis or degenerative disc disease, for whom back pain is the only, or primary, complaint.

Conventional medical treatments may help relieve the symptoms of inflammatory arthritis, but they do not address the root of the problem. Generally, by undergoing comprehensive natural medicine testing, the reasons the body is producing antibodies against itself can be found. Some of these reasons include sensitivities or allergies to foods, inhalants and chemicals and various infections.

Discover why we believe that natural medicine treatments are the best way to treat inflammatory arthritis.

Learn about the treatments for Inflammatory Arthritis