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As we age, our bodies sometimes develop conditions that let us know we’re not as young as we used to be.
Arthritis is one of those conditions. But while joint pain is more common in older adults, arthritis also develops in younger adults and children.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, arthritis affects about 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. Unfortunately, arthritis symptoms are often dismissed, which causes a delay in treatment.
Arthritis can be any kind of joint pain or damage to a joint. In fact, pain is the most common initial symptom, though people often live with the pain until it becomes debilitating.
What causes arthritis? Your physician can get to the root cause, but some things that can cause it include genetics, age, environmental factors and physical conditions, like obesity, diabetes or high cholesterol.
In Episode 64, Dr. G and his guest, Nisha Dsilva, D.O., discuss the symptoms and causes of arthritis as well as how to ease the pain.
Guest
Myths vs. Facts
“Arthritis only affects the elderly.” – Myth
Arthritis can affect children and young adults.
“Treating arthritis is not a one-size-fits-all approach.” – Fact
There’s no cookie-cutter approach when it comes to medicine. Treatment depends on the cause as well as the patient’s personal history and risk factors.
“Women and minorities are disproportionately affected with arthritis.” – Fact
The risk of arthritis is more common in women than men. Hispanics and non-Hispanic Blacks have a higher prevalence of arthritis-attributable effects compared with non-Hispanic whites.
“Your primary care physician will refer you to a rheumatologist if your symptoms indicate arthritis.” - Depends
Your primary care physician will likely be the first person you talk to about your symptoms and may end up referring you to a specialist.
“It’s OK to delay arthritis treatment until your symptoms get bad.” – Myth
For any disease, particularly for arthritis, the sooner you can intervene, the better.
“Arthritis is an inevitable part of life, so you must learn to deal with it.” – Myth
As people age, their risk for arthritis increases. But it’s not something people have to just deal with. There are ways to continue to do the things you love, even with arthritis.
“Meditative movement therapies – such as tai chi, yoga and qigong – appear to improve arthritis symptoms.” – Fact
These are excellent ways to treat pain and continue low-impact range of motion, strength and endurance.
Listener healthy OH-YEAH!
“Well worth getting out of your comfort zone.” – J.K.
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