Suffering from arthritis?  Help is at hand

Rose, an arthritis sufferer herself, works for an organisation called Arthritis and Osteoporosis WA.  They provide support, information, and educational programs to those who have to deal with the debilitating effects of arthritis.

 

Did you know that there are over 100 varieties of arthritis?  Amazing to think that there are so many.  Rose mentioned a few of the more common ones this morning, including gout, lupus, fibromyalgia as well as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.  Each type attacks the body slightly differently, but essentially the joint mobility is decreased.  Over 10% of the population has osteoarthritis; and if you are over 70 years of age, more than 50% will suffer from it.  Osteoarthritis is caused by the breakdown and loss of the cartilage between the joints.  It usually affects the large weight bearing joints.  Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common of the inflammatory autoimmune diseases and affects about 3% of our population with three times as many women having to deal with it than men.

 

Gout is another form of arthritis and is the most common form with some 5% of people experiencing it.  The joint most affected is the big toe.  Foods containing purines in them cause uric acid to form small crystals in the joints which cause the pain. 

 

Rose understands that many people have their own ways of dealing with the pain surrounding arthritis, but she urged us to always check with our GP regarding what it is that we are taking because it may impact upon any other medication that we could also be taking.  She also said to treat the pain early, rather than later in the hope that it will go away as it is easier to get it sorted before it builds up.  If the area is sore - use a hot pack, but if it is inflamed - a cold pack is the way to go.  We need to continually use those joints because if we don't use them - we could lose the use of them.

 

Thanks Rose, you provided us with lots of information, and also knowing that we can get support from Arthritis and Osteoporosis WA is a great help.  They can be accessed via their website:  www.arthritiswa.org.au or email:  general@arthritiswa.org.au

 

Rose is happy to come back another day to talk to us about osteoporosis.  We look forward to catching up with her again then.