Questions and Answers

The Arthritis Society routinely receives frequently asked questions and some not so common ones. While the questions are asked by people with varied forms of arthritis and from different regions of the country, they do have something in common - they represent a hunger for knowledge and understanding. We've created this resource area for you to review some of the questions and responses our staff and volunteers gathered. We hope they offer some insights and encourage you to browse further into the site.

The questions are not organized in any particular order. You can browse them twenty questions at a time, or use the search feature to find if any questions were asked about a topic that interests you.

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Question 42
What are the cures for arthritis?

Currently, most types of arthritis cannot be cured, but can be controlled with proper treatment.  The exceptions are infectious forms of arthritis which can be cured.


Question 43
What is pacing?


Pacing is doing things throughout the day for periods of time that do not make pain worse.  Many people with arthritis push or force themselves for a day or so, and then end up with much worse pain and are unable to do much for several days.  Pacing is the opposite of this.  The purpose of pacing is to make it possible to be active every day. - Barb Arthur, TAS/1993  

Question 44
Why does HEAT work?  

Heat decreases pain by washing out pain-producing metabolites (by-products of inflammation) with improved blood flow.  Heat also temporarily increases the threshold of the nerves that carry information about pain back to the brain.  In other words, the nerves are less sensitive.  An additional mechanism of pain relief may be the decrease of muscle guarding and spasm. - Marie Wallace, Physiotherapy Dept., Oct/94

Question 45
How does obesity affect arthritis? 

Excess body weight increases the stress placed on weight-bearing joints such as the hip and knee.  Overweight is indeed a dilemma in persons with arthritis because the joint pain, stiffness, and fatigue may significantly limit  their ability to burn excess calories through exercise.  Decreased physical activity will require a reduction in total caloric intake.  Exercise should be part of a weight reduction program.  Most patients with arthritis can participate in exercise as long as they do not put undue stresses on the joints.  Low stress,  high repetition exercises are most beneficial. Swimming is an extremely good  'low impact' exercise for patients with arthritis.- Barb Arthur, RN/ TAS - Aug/93


Question 46
Will cracking your knuckles lead to arthritis?

No.  The sound of cracking is the release of air pressure in the joints. Cracking knuckles will not lead to arthritis. - Nursing Dept, TAS - Aug/95 

Question 47
Can arthritis be prevented?

Research has not given us enough information yet on ways to prevent most types of arthritis.  However, some types of arthritis can be prevented; for example: rheumatic fever can be prevented by treating strep throat with penicillin;lyme disease may be prevented by avoiding bites from infected ticks and seeking early treatment with antibiotics for symptoms.  New information from research is increasing the likelihood that in the future some other types of arthritis may be prevented.  Three major things you need to do to prevent problems with bones, joints and muscles:  Keep fit (exercise daily,) control your weight  (extra weight places unnecessary stress on our weight bearing joints), protect your joints (listen to pain messages your body sends, do activities in the right way, avoid activities that are likely to result in injury such as football,  wear good shoes, maintain good posture, sleep in a good bed.)

Question 48
 What are Heberden's nodes?

Bony knobs that form around the end joints of the finger.  In the middle joints of fingers, similar knobs can be found.  Usually, the bony enlargement  occurs slowly over a period of years and is not even noticed by the person.  In  most cases, all of the fingers are involved more or less equally.  There is an interesting variation of OA in which bony swelling occurs over only 3 or 4 weeks in a single finger joint.  The sudden swelling will cause redness and soreness until the process is complete; then hurting will stop altogether.  This syndrome is seen in women in their forties, eariler than the more usual form of OA.These people frequently have other family members with the same problem.  This 'familial' form of OA doesn't really seem very much worse over the long run but one joint after another may suddenly develop a bony knob for a short period of time.

Question 49
Can a joint be inflamed and not damaged? 

YES.  Chronic inflammation usually leads to joint damage but not necessarily.  Early on in a disease, there can be a lot of inflammation (swelling, redness, heat and pain) and absolutely no damage to the cartilage or the bone.  (PT Dept., Mary Pack Arthritis Centre, Nov/94)
 

Question 50
How is fatigue related to arthritis?  

Fatigue is the feeling of extreme tiredness or exhaustion. Most types of arthritis can involve some type of fatigue. Can result from a combination of factors: PHYSICAL (anemia in some types of arthritis, muscle weakness, ongoing  inflammation, med side effects, sleep disturbances, lack of regular exercise)  EMOTIONS: depression, overdoing, trying to hide illness SURROUNDINGS: noise, stairs, warm climate.  Treatments for fatigue may include:  resting when tired (pacing), getting enough sleep, lowering use of alcohol, nicotine, caffeine,tranquilizers, exercising (increase muscle strength, improve stamina, increase  range of motion) relaxation techniques, make work easier by organization.


Question 51
What is wax or paraffin treatment? 

This is a method of applying melted paraffin wax and mineral oil to the hand or foot for intense heat therapy.  It is especially helpful before exercise or to decrease pain and stiffness.  NOTE:  It is not recommended that a person  try this treatment whithout advice from their therapist or doctor. It can cause burns in people with poor circulation and should not be used when acute  inflammation or open cuts/sores are present.  At high temperatures, wax can catch on fire very easily.  Other methods like hot water bottles, hot water,  heated gel packs are much easier to do, less hazardous, and achieve the same effect (i.e. decreased pain and stiffness)  (Occupational therapy dept., Mary Pack Arthritis Centre, September 1995)
 

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