Inside an Arthritic Joint: What Does Arthritis Look Like?
Arthritis is an umbrella term for many different conditions that damage the joints, but what does an arthritic joint look like? While the types of arthritis cause damage in distinct ways, arthritic joints usually share some common characteristics.
Visualizing what’s happening inside a joint can help you understand how arthritis impacts joints such as the knee. The experts at Summit Orthopedics in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area show you exactly what it looks like inside an arthritic joint and what that means for you.
How Arthritis Affects the Joints
If you look up “arthritis” in the dictionary, you’ll see it defined as “joint inflammation.” What causes that inflammation, though?
Depending on the type of arthritis, the inflammation and joint damage associated with the disease may be caused by breakdown of cartilage, an autoimmune process or even an infection. Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis among people in the United States, causes damage through a cyclic process:
- There’s a loss of cartilage in the joint. Cartilage, which is a strong connective tissue, plays an important role in keeping your joints functioning. It acts as a cushion between bones, so when cartilage wears away or is damaged, more pressure is placed on other components in the joint, including the bone. As cartilage degenerates, it becomes more brittle and less absorbent.
- Cartilage loss leads to increased inflammation. Bone rubbing up against bone due to a lack of cartilage surface can lead to inflammation and pain. Inflammation can also occur for another reason—as cartilage degenerates, it breaks into small and big flakes, which can enter the lining of the joint, called the synovium.
- Inflammation causes pain and other symptoms. When pieces of cartilage end up in the synovium, your joints can become quite painful very quickly. There’s a good reason for that. While your cartilage does not contain nerves, there are many nerve endings in the joint lining, which makes it very sensitive.
- Loss of cartilage also leads to joint instability. As the cartilage surface degenerates, it can cause surrounding ligaments to loosen. This causes the sensation that those weight-bearing joints are no longer bearing that weight effectively.
- Joint instability combined with inflammation and pain leads to decreased function. This, in turn, affects overall health. As joints become more painful and interfere with normal activities, it can keep people with arthritis from being physically active and from participating in their communities. Gradually, symptoms may worsen to impede basic movements.
Other types of arthritis cause a similar process in the body, though it may skip steps or begin with damage to the joint lining.
Take rheumatoid arthritis as an example. Rather than being damaged by fragments of cartilage, the synovium is damaged when the body’s immune system attacks it by sending antibodies to the joint lining.
Similarly, gout symptoms occur when an excess of uric acid builds up in the joints, and infectious arthritis is triggered by an infection traveling to a joint.
Look for These Symptoms of Arthritis
Whether you have cartilage breakdown, or the synovial lining is damaged in another way, arthritis can cause a number of joint-related symptoms. Joint pain is the most common symptom, and it may be felt in different ways, such as aching, soreness, burning or throbbing.
Other symptoms of arthritis to look for may include:
- Diminished mobility
- Gait changes
- Noticeable joint deformity
- Redness or warmth around a joint
- Reduced ability to move the joint
- Stiffness, particularly early in the day
- Swelling around the affected joint
In addition to these joint-related symptoms, which can occur with many types of arthritis, some forms of the disease can also cause other symptoms, such as a fever, hair loss or weight loss. These symptoms are more common among inflammatory forms of arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis.
How You Can Protect Your Joints
There is no definite way to prevent arthritis, since some risk factors for the disease are beyond your control. That’s especially true when it comes to rheumatoid arthritis, which is caused by your immune system rebelling, and infectious arthritis, which is triggered by an infection.
It may not be possible to completely prevent osteoarthritis, either. While this type of arthritis can sometimes be related to anatomical defects or caused by injury, it’s most often related to cartilage breakdown over time. Taking good care of your joints can help you lower your risk of developing this type of arthritis, however.
Practicing healthy lifestyle habits can help you protect your joints:
- Move your body regularly. Make it a priority to get the recommended 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week. That’s 30 minutes a day, five days a week, of an activity such as brisk walking, swimming or even gardening. Include a mix of heart pumping cardio, muscle-strengthening exercise and balance training.
- Get to a healthy weight. Talk with a medical provider about what a healthy weight looks like for you, which will be based on several factors. If you need to lose weight, changes in movement and eating patterns can help you take steps toward a weight-loss goal. Losing even a small amount of weight takes stress off your joints.
- Eat an anti-inflammatory diet. Fill your plate at meals with antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and proteins such as fish, beans and lentils. Including at least two servings of fatty fish each week can help you get a good dose of omega-3 fatty acids, a natural anti-inflammatory. Examples of fatty fish include salmon, tuna, sardines and trout.
- Be kind to your joints. While you don’t need to wrap yourself up in bubble wrap, do what you can to protect your joint health. Exercise regularly, but choose joint-friendly activities whenever you can. That means fewer jumps and more cushioning. Weather-related activities, including swimming and water aerobics, can be particularly good for your joints.
If you participate in sports, be sure to use correct form and wear sport-specific protective gear, particularly to protect your knees. ACL tears, which are common, can sometimes lead to osteoarthritis. If you already have arthritis, look for sports that are easier on the joints, such as swimming or cycling versus running.
Take the first step toward arthritis relief. Find an arthritis expert or request an appointment online to schedule a consultation.
