ARTHRITIS AND THE SPINE

Some interesting facts about arthritis: There exist over 100 kinds of arthritis, some of which affect the spine Arthritis is a general term that means inflammation/degeneration in a joint.

In Greek ‘arthron’ means joint and ‘itis’ means inflammation. Arthritis means any or all of the following - warm and painful joints, swollen joints, stiff joints with restricted movement, tender to touch. Causes of arthritis are diverse - age-related wear and tear of the joints is called osteoarthritis and is the most common form. Other causes can be auto-immune mediated arthritis like rheumatoid arthritis.

Septic arthritis and tubercular arthritis are common in our country. Spondyloarthritopathy or SPA are many kinds of arthritis that involve the spine Ankylosing spondylitis is well known. Ankylosing spondylitis is uncommon in women. Arthritis worsens in cold weather. Hot water bottles help reduce the symptoms of arthritis. Inflammation of the eye resulting in a red eye and blurred vision can be due to arthritis. Inflammation of the bowel can be due to arthritis. Morning stiffness can be due to arthritis.

Arthritis is treated by rheumatologists Surgeons are involved if there is a fracture or a deformed spine needs correction.

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