Lately, especially after heavy lifting, I have been experiencing numbness in my fingers, and some swelling and stiffness in the joints, especially in the morning. I went to see the doctor about it and he said I have early stage rheumatoid arthritis, and I’m not even 40 years old yet. Is there anything I can do to reverse this condition, or manage it so that it doesn’t get worse?
A While most of us associate arthritis with old age it is, in fact, a debilitating condition that can affect a person of any age. The causes of the initial on-set of arthritis are still relatively unknown, but it is, in the case of rheumatoid arthritis, a condition associated with systemic and chronic inflammation. Overweight people also tend to be at higher risk, however it is unclear whether this is associated with the excess stress this extra weight places on their joints, or if it is more related to the inflammation present in obese individuals.
Arthritis is characterised by swelling and stiffness that occurs in the joints. Every joint consists of two bones, which are held together by ligaments. These ligaments are like elastic bands. As our muscles contract and relax they stretch and also work to keep our bones in place. Each of the two bones is covered in cartilage to prevent them from rubbing directly against one another and the joints are surrounded by a capsule, which is filled with synovial fluid that nourishes both the joint and cartilage.
The way the condition affects the joints depends on the type of arthritis. Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and infectious arthritis are the most common types. However, arthritis can affect each person very differently, from the level of pain felt to the duration the pain lasts.
In your case, rheumatoid arthritis is a type of auto-immune disease that occurs when the synovial membrane, which produces synovial fluid, is ‘attacked’, resulting in severe swelling and relentless pain. It generally occurs in fingers, arms and wrists. Joints will be tender, even to touch, and are at their most painful in the morning when you wake up, as you’ve experienced. This pain can last for up to 30 minutes at a time.
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