Rheumatoid Arthritis|Psoriatic Arthritis Symptoms|Arthritis Treatment

Are you suffering from elbow joint pain? If so, then it's important to know everything you can about it, in order to treat it. Here are some of the most common conditions and diseases that cause these pains.

1. Arthritis.  It's important to understand that several types of arthritis exist. However, usually indicators of inflammation in joints of elbows are the source. This can result in several symptoms, including swelling, pain, tenderness, and lowered range of motion. The decreased range of motion results from inflamed joints that limit it.

2. Infected joints of elbows. This source of elbow joint pain is fairly uncommon. It involves bacteria infecting the joints of elbows. Typically patients with diabetes or poor immune systems; or those taking cortisone medicines suffer from this disorder. Common symptoms include redness, swelling, pain, and heat. People with this type of arthritis often experience chills, fevers, and perspiring. This type of arthritis needs antibiotics and frequently requires drainage via surgery.  

3. Tumors. It's uncommon for people to suffer tumors in the joints of their elbows. Tumors can be painless or painful (in the joints of the elbows). X-Ray testing and nuclear bone scanning are helpful for detecting tumors.

4. Ulnar nerve entrapment. The ulnar nerve is the "funny bone" that's located between the end of elbows and the inside bone of elbows. A "pinching" sensation, known as entrapment, can cause the pain. When this occurs, you can feel a tickly sensation in the pinky and the finger beside it. It's also possible to feel pain throughout the entire forearm. When this happens, the agility of your hand can become impaired. Sometimes raising the hand can cause lack of sensation in the area.

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Gout is a type of arthritis that is typically classified as one of the most painful kinds of arthritis. There are a number of symptoms of gout, many of which are your average arthritis symptoms, like joint inflammation, joint swelling, and joint discomfort.

However, gout is usually only found in a single joint and is so discomforting that individuals often are woken up at night. The joint will often become red and it is common for an individual will goto bed without any symptoms of gout, only to awake swollen and red. In most cases, only one joint will be affected, with the big toe being the most common joint to be affected by gout.

Gout is caused when levels of uric acid begin to rise in the body, which results in uric acid crystals forming around the joints. As the crystals begin to build up, the joint becomes inflamed. Uric acid is created as the body breaks down purines, which are found in many meats, including liver and kidney. Purines occur in many other types of foods as well and are found in low amounts in many vegetables, including spinach and mushrooms. Most meats, especially seafood also contain purines.

Often, gout is caused when a persons diet consists of too many foods high in purines, although it can also be the result of the kidneys inability to adequately break down uric acid. Other risk factors of gout include lead poising, joint injuries, surgery, and excessive alcohol intake.

Another disease that shares many similarities with gout is pseudogout. Pseudogout is caused in a similar many to gout, except that instead of uric acid crystals, calcium pyrophosphate crystals begin forming in the joint. This can be caused by age or a number of other factors, including hypercalcemia. Most often pseudogout will affect the knee, although it is also commonly found in ankles, wrists, and the shoulders.

Both gout and pseudogout have a number of symptoms that are very similar, so it is typically necessary to take a sample of the infected joints fluid and check for high levels of uric acid crystals or calcium pyrophosphate crystals.

Treatment of gout often relies upon losing weight if the individual is overweight, as well as diet modification to avoid foods that are high in purines. Both pseudogout and gout are also treated with Colchicine and anti-inflammation drugs. Colchicine is a medication that is used all over the world and has been used to treat gout for some time, although it is not approved by the FDA.

Anyone can get gout, but men are more at risk than women. It is more common with age, and in females it is more likely to occur after menopause. In men gout is more common among those who are over the age of forty.

Gout can be very serious and extremely painful, so it is important to avoid a diet that is too heavily based on purines.

There are several types of arthritis. Osteoarthritis, also referred to as degenerative joint disease, is the most common type of this disease and it is characterized by progressive degradation of the joints. In some instances degradation can include articular cartilage as well as the subchondral bone that is next to the joint.

Osteoarthritis normally affects the spine, hands and the feet. It can also affect the large bearing joints such as the hips and the knees. Symptoms of this condition include pain or a burning sensation in the affected muscles and tendons. Other symptoms are inflammation, stiffness and a creaking noise when you move or touch the affected joint. You may also experience contractions in the tendons and muscle spasm.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic and systematic disorder that also affects the joints leading to an inflammatory synovistis. It can also affect tissues and other body organs. This condition can lead to the destruction of the articular cartilage as well as ankylosis of the joints. Symptoms include inflammation, swelling and stiffness of the affected joint especially in the mornings. The joints will feel warm and you may also experience pain.

Gout is another type and is characterized by elevated levels of uric acid in the bloodstream. When you suffer from this condition, uric acid is deposited on the articular cartilage of the joints, tendons and surrounding tissues. Gout is marked by sudden, excruciating and burning painful attacks within and about the joints. Psoriatic arthritis is a type of inflammatory condition that causes joint inflammation. It can also lead to tendinitis and sausage-like swelling of the digits or dactylitis.

Following a specific arthritis diet and eliminating some foods from your daily meals, a patient can effectively reverse arthritis in the body. An arthritis diet, which is basically a diet that includes specific foods that undo the symptoms of arthritis as well as lacking foods that have been associated with the disease, can be used to elevate the pain that is caused by the disease and in some rare cases, the arthritis diet has cured patients from arthritis. However, these have been mainly speculations with no solid scientific backing.

What is an Arthritis Diet?

So what exactly does an arthritis diet constitute? Rheumatologists who are associated with the Arthritis Foundation have stated that people who are overweight provoke osteoarthritis due to the presence of fats in their bodies. The experts have linked fish oils as the primary causes of this arthritis but on the other hand, the Arthritis Foundation goes ahead to state that there is no direct link to diet plans and arthritis. Over the years that the foundation has existed, they have yet to find any definite causes of the disease and as such one cannot help but question this fact. Is there anything to this diet?

After years of research into the disease, doctors and scientists have slowly given in to the convention that various foods can be contributing to the cause of the disease. Clinical proof from other branches of medicine has greatly contributed to this realization. Now if there is an alternative treatment to this disease, then it is only natural that this avenue is pursued. The rising costs of the drugs used to treat the disease and also the fact that the only organization that is in charge of researching into the disease is stating blatantly that there is no cure for the disease, also fuels this urge to try out alternative cures for arthritis.

An Arthritis Diet and a Well-Balanced Diet

To this end, medical science has shown and proven that healthy joints are dependent on gastrointestinal health as well as a healthy well-being. This is probably why a healthy person who exercises regularly and assumes a balanced diet is not likely to suffer from arthritis. Therefore this draws the conclusion that there is indeed such a thing as an arthritis diet. The specific diet is not yet conclusive according to the major studies that have been conducted over the years.

The first study conducted by Dr. Anthony Conte in 1970 and his Pittsburg nutritionist partner sort to prove that the disease is associated with allergies. It was their conclusion that the disease could be well avoided by staying away from certain foods that were likely to cause allergies in the body. There was another study by Dr. Robert Stroud who concluded that patients who were suffering from arthritis responded well to the omission of certain types of food in their diet. In his findings, the doctor noted that during a period of fasting, it was possible to elevate all symptoms of arthritis. During this period, all symptoms would clear up and disappear. According to him, this was concrete proof that arthritis is food related, but the unfortunate implication here comes when you realize that you cannot fast forever.

However, this also led to scientists expanding on these two theories and after several experiments spanning more than 7 years, doctors have now come up with an arthritis diet that they believe will get rid of the disease once and for all. According to this study, there are foods that you eat which can influence your digestive system, leading to growth of bacteria in the system that will ultimately affect arthritis. Eating healthy foods will undoubtedly keep the symptoms of the disease away, confirming what many folk healers have been saying for ages; keep healthy and arthritis will not be a problem. The perfect arthritis diet is one that is well-balanced.

Over time joint cartilage simply starts to degenerate, leading to loss of joint mobility and many times pain. Osteoarthritis in dogs is characterized by thinning of cartilage, buildup of fluid within the joint, and the formation of bony outgrowths around the joint. Joint degeneration can be brought about by a number of reasons factors, including: trauma, the body's own immune system, infection, or birth related disorders. Joint degeneration leads to inflammation, and abnormal joint function.

Signs of osteoarthritis in dogs include joint swelling, lameness, wasting away of muscle, and thickening and scarring of he joint membrane. Over time a large amount of joint damage can be done leading to the dreaded bone on bone grating sound. If X-rays are required they should reveal an increase in fluid within the joint, soft tissue swelling around the joint, soft tissue swelling around the joint, the formation of bony outgrowths, hardening and thickening of bone beneath the cartilage, and sometimes a narrowed joint space.

Treatment can include medication, surgery, or natural supplementation. Prescription drugs commonly prescribed are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce pain and inflammation. While these drugs are initially helpful they can sometimes cause gastrointestinal problems such as lack of appetite, vomiting, and inflammation of the stomach and intestines. Corticosteroids are another option for curbing inflammation, but they too may produce unwanted side effects if taken over a long period of time. You should consult your veterinarian to gain a better understanding of the risk involved with prescription dog osteoporosis medications.

On occasion surgery may be the only alternative, especially if the osteoporosis is in its advanced stages or if joint trauma is involved. Surgical options include joint fusion, joint replacement, cutting of the joint, and even amputation. The prognosis will depend on the severity of the joint disease and the location of the damaged joint.

Natural supplementation has been shown to be helpful in regenerating cartilage and bone without the unintended consequences. There are currently some excellent natural health options available which can be taken as stand alone remedies or in addition to conventional dog osteoarthritis medications. These alternative treatment options for dog osteoarthritis are definitely worth investigating further.

Other potentially helpful treatments for dog osteoarthritis are weight reduction, carefully monitored exercise regimes (only on soft surfaces), and use of joint heat therapy. Joint fluid modifiers may prove helpful in limiting further cartilage loss.