London: According to Dr. Irfan Masud, a senior consultant and orthopaedic surgeon at Maroof International Hospital Islamabad, “Almost every person suffers from one form of arthritis or another, during their lives.” In the United States, arthritic conditions limit the lives of more than seven million patients, second to heart disease as a cause of occupational disability.
Dr. Masud reports that in Pakistan alone, close to 14 million people have been diagnosed with what is considered to be one of the most disabling conditions known to mankind. Some common conditions that fall under the banner of arthritis are osteoarthritis, back pain, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, gout, polymyalgia rheumatic, lupus, and ankylosing spondylitis. Anyone can get arthritis, including children and young people.
What is arthritis?
Few of us understand arthritis and the muscular degeneration it entails, let alone know how to prevent it. The word arthritis — derived from the Greek words ‘Artho’ and ‘Itis’ which mean joints and inflammation respectively — is an umbrella term for nearly 100 medical conditions which affect the human muscular and skeletal system adversely. Therefore, in a nutshell, arthritis can be defined as inflammation of joints that results in pain, weakness, instability, and bone deformities that interfere with our daily lives.
Joint tissues cover the ends of bones and allow them to move against one another. When the tissues are inflamed or damaged, movement becomes problematic and painful. “Constant joint pain is the main complaint of patients suffering from arthritis,” says Dr. Masud. “It is often constant and arises due to inflammation of or damage around the joints as well as daily wear and tear. Muscle strain caused by forceful movements against stiff joints can also cause arthritic pain.”
