Arthritis Specialist

What is arthritis?

Arthritis is a general term used to describe a group of diseases affecting your joints causing them to become inflamed. Arthritis is manageable, but if you don’t address your symptoms early, it becomes a chronic condition and you could lose the ability to move your joints properly.

What are the different types of arthritis?

Arthritis primarily affects your joints, but certain kinds can also affect your kidneys, heart, eyes, and lungs. The different types of arthritis include:

Degenerative arthritis

Degenerative arthritis occurs when your cartilage wears away after years of use. Cartilage is a flexible tissue that acts as a cushion between bones allowing you to move your joints without feeling friction.

If you have degenerative arthritis and your cartilage breaks down, you can feel your bones scraping when you move a joint. Over time this causes inflation, swelling, and stiffness. If you don’t address the symptoms early, your joint becomes weaker until you develop a chronic condition requiring more aggressive treatments. 

Inflammatory arthritis

Inflammatory arthritis, including rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis, happens when your body’s immune system mistakenly attacks healthy joints, causing inflammation. Cases of inflammatory arthritis cause your joints to gradually wear down and can even affect major organs like your kidneys and lungs.

Infectious arthritis

Infectious arthritis, also called septic arthritis, happens when your joint becomes infected by bacteria, viruses, or fungi. Most cases can be cured with medication but some cases develop into chronic conditions.

Metabolic arthritis

Patients with metabolic arthritis (i.e. gout) have a build-up of too much uric acid in their bloodstream. Uric acid is a byproduct of digestion, but sometimes your kidneys don’t remove it from your body efficiently. This excess uric acid is deposited in your joints where it crystallizes and causes sharp, sudden pain. Over time, these attacks become stronger and more frequent.

Each type of arthritis presents unique symptoms, but all arthritic patients experience joint pain. If you’re noticing signs like swelling and a loss of movement in your joints, get treatment at Katy Internists before your condition becomes severe.

How do you treat arthritis? 

There is no cure for arthritis, but the team at Katy Internists offers customized treatments that offer pain relief and preserve joint function and movement.

Treatment begins with simple lifestyle changes like eating a nutrient-rich diet and performing daily exercise to maintain a healthy weight. Your practitioner can also coordinate physical therapy treatments to teach you exercises that are safe and beneficial for your condition.

Certain cases of inflammatory arthritis may require immunosuppressive drugs that reduce your immune system activity when it’s mistakenly attacking healthy joints.

For severe cases, your practitioner may suggest surgery to repair or replace damaged joints that aren’t responding to physical therapy. 

To learn more about the various ways Katy Internists can treat your arthritis and help you manage your pain and other symptoms, call the office or use the online scheduling tool to make an appointment today.