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How To Stay Active With Arthritis
Featured in the Daily News - Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Arthritis is a term for a group of over 100 rheumatic diseases and conditions that affect over 40 million adults and 300,000 children in the United States alone.

These rheumatic conditions are typically characterized by pain, stiffness and inflammation within the musculoskeletal system, specifically the joints, where two or more bones meet. Such damage can lead to joint weakness, instability and visible deformities, which, depending on the location of the joint involvement, can interfere with the most basic daily tasks such as brushing your teeth, combing your hair, or walking.

While arthritis related conditions primarily affect the muscles and bones, certain rheumatic conditions are classified as systematic, which means they can also affect the entire body. In these instances arthritis can cause damage to the immune system and various internal organs such as the heart and kidney.

The two most common forms of arthritis are rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis, the most common form, usually comes with age and most often affects the fingers, knees, and hips. Sometimes osteoarthritis follows an injury to a joint. For example, a young man might badly injure his knee while playing sports. Then, years after the knee has healed, he might develop arthritis in his knee joint. Rheumatoid arthritis happens when the bodies own defense system no longer functions properly. It affects joints, bones, and organs; often the hands and feet.

According to rheumatologist Dr. Anang Modi, an authority on arthritic conditions and a specialty physician with the Queens Long Island Medical Group, PC (QLIMG) ìwhen it comes to treating arthritis, it depends on each patient, and the location of the arthritis, for example if some one has arthritis in the knees and they are overweight, certainly weight reduction would help, medications and anti inflammatorysí offer some relief, but a lot of it is life style modification, weight reduction combined with medical therapyî.

He went on to say ìif medications such as anti inflammatory(s) and Tylenol arenít helping, the most recent advances have been injectible medications which are basically derived from Rooster combs, yet they are made synthetically. Patients suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee can receive a series of these artificial cartilage injections. This is used in advanced cases when more conservative therapy is not working. However, patients respond well to it and it serves as a good adjunctive therapy.î

Dr. Modi notes that there are preventative measures that can be taken when it comes to arthritis. ìExercising regularly, eating a well balanced diet, and staying away from foods rich in saturated fats is best. It is imperative to stay active, keep your weight down and keep muscles and joints active, but try to avoid any strenuous activity that could potentially cause long term damageî.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, arthritis is the nationís leading cause of disability with nearly 19 million U.S. adults reporting activity limitations because of arthritis each year during 2003ñ2005. Annually, arthritis results in 750,000 hospitalizations and 36 million outpatient visits. Arthritis is not limited to the elderly as nearly two-thirds of people with arthritis are younger than 65. Although arthritis affects children and people of all racial and ethnic groups, it is more common among women and older adults. Currently, growing trends indicate that as the population ages, the number of people with arthritis will continue to grow.

It is best to work closely with a physician to manage arthritic conditions, to make an appointment with a QLIMG physician in your community call 1-877-75Q-LIMG, (1-877-757-5464.)




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