Arthritis is a general term that refers to conditions that can cause pain, stiffness and swelling in joints, plus other tissues that connect and support joints such as muscles, tendons and ligaments.
Arthritis is also a joint disorder that causes inflammation, which is the response to the body tissues to injury or infection. A joint is an area of the body where two different bones meet. A joint functions to move the body parts connected by its bones.
The forms of arthritis range from those related to wear and tear of cartilage to those associated with inflammation resulting from an over active immune system such as rheumatoid arthritis. Together, the many forms of arthritis make up the most common chronic illness in the world.
Approximately, 350 million people world wide have arthritis. Presently Nigeria accounts for about 9% of new patients of arthritis. A recent survey conducted about arthritis by Leigh Callahan, an associate Director of the Thurston Arthritis Research Centre at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, reported that the favourite alternative therapies of the 970 arthritis sufferers who responded to the survey includes; meditation and prayers amongst others.
Arthritis most often makes one very uncomfortable because of the pains associated with it. But the question; how many people actually know what arthritis is? Are we aware that simple things like; being careful in the way we do things generally, engaging ourselves in physical activities that are not too strenuous, as well as avoiding very cold environments can reduce the chance of arthritis?
Maintaining a healthy weight and a healthy lifestyle can also minimize ones chance of suffering arthritis. Do we know it is better and cheaper to live a healthy life than to rely on drugs? Health Watch sampled the opinion of a cross section of people in Abuja on whether they engage themselves in physical activities.
Sustaining an injury to a joint ( from a house hold mishap, a car accident, playing sports, or doing anything else) increases the chance of developing arthritis in that joint.
According to medical experts; it’s just a fact of life that the older one gets, the more likely the person is to develop arthritis.
We believe it is not too late to start exercising, as delay can be dangerous.
Tonia is the producer of Health Watch on Network
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