How does joint arthritis affect different joints?

Joint arthritis is a painful condition that affects a surprisingly big part of our adult population.

It comes with symptoms that can severely hinder our everyday lives, like joint pain, stiffness, and decreased range of motion.

Stay with us to learn more about how arthritis can affect different joints and what you can do about it.

Different forms of arthritis and our joints

The term arthritis itself refers to a group of diseases that causes joint inflammation and pain.

So, technically, every form of arthritis is joint arthritis. But there are differences in the underlying causes, symptoms, and treatment options.

If you’d like to learn more about the most common types of the disease, you can do so in our overview article about arthritis. In this article, we will talk about how arthritis can affect different joints.

How arthritis affects different joints?

Most forms of joint arthritis can occur in any joint of the body. However, they usually affect only a few at a time, especially in their early stages.

Arthritis in the foot

Painful, swollen or red joints in the feet might be a sign of arthritis.

Gout is one of the most notable examples of foot arthritis, as it often starts in the big toe. Other forms of arthritis which might affect the feet are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or post-traumatic arthritis.

If you experience foot arthritis, the following things can help ease the symptoms:

• Wear special shoe inserts that decrease the stress on the joints
• Avoid high-impact exercises like running and soccer
• Use temperature therapy to reduce pain and stiffness, but avoid heat therapy if you have inflammatory arthritis

Knee arthritis

The knees are one of the joints most commonly affected by arthritis.

Osteoarthritis might often be the cause behind this. It’s a degenerative joint disease that causes the joint tissues to break down over time. Post-traumatic arthritis might also be at play, as it is a form of osteoarthritis triggered by joint trauma.

Here are a few tips on how to make life with knee arthritis easier:

• Avoid further stress and trauma to the joint
• Reduce the load on the damaged joints by maintaining a healthy weight
• Stabilize the joint with wrap bandages, braces, or walking canes

Hip arthritis

If you experience pain, weakness, and cracking sounds in your hip area, these might be the signs of hip arthritis.

Because the hips are weight-bearing joints, they have a higher risk of developing osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and avascular necrosis can also affect the hip area.

When dealing with hip arthritis, you might want to pay attention to these things:

• Avoid overuse and high-impact stress on the joints
• Try to change your office chair to an ergonomic one
• Stay physically active with low-impact sports like swimming

Spinal arthritis

Arthritis in the spine can cause back pain, inflammation, and stiffness. In severe cases, it might even limit your range of motion.

Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis are common forms of the disease that might affect the spine and the sacrum area. The symptoms usually appear in the neck or the lower back. If you experience back pain, it’s crucial to see a doctor, because some conditions have a better prognosis with early treatment.

Try to apply the following everyday changes to reduce your back pain:

• Use an ergonomic mattress and office chair that offers better support for your spine
• Remain physically active
• Avoid sitting in one position for too long, and take small breaks when working in front of a computer
• Make sure your core muscles can support your spine by keeping them in good shape with low-impact exercises like tai chi or swimming

Arthritis in the shoulders and elbows

Arthritis in the elbows or shoulders is less common than in other joints, but it can still occur.

Both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis could affect these joints, but psoriatic arthritis and gout are also possible causes, especially in the elbow. While they are not categorized as arthritides, frozen shoulder and bursitis could also cause similar symptoms in the shoulder area.

If you experience pain, stiffness, and swelling, following these simple steps might help ease your symptoms:

• Avoid repetitive movements, high-impact stress, and overuse of the joint
• If you are doing office work, try to find a more comfortable position for your arms or use an ergonomic mouse
• Braces and wrap bandages can help stabilize the joint and reduce further stress
• Avoid lifting heavy weights

Arthritis in hands and fingers

The fingers and the wrist are often affected by arthritis.

Psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, osteoarthritis, and gout are different forms of arthritis that might appear in the joints of the hand. They might cause pain, swelling, stiffness, or in more severe cases, even bone deformities.

This form of arthritis can be especially uncomfortable because we use our hands for so many things. When dealing with arthritis of the hands, even simple everyday tasks can turn into painful challenges.

There are a few things that might make it easier to manage your symptoms:

• Try to avoid strong gripping movements and overuse of the joints
• If you work in an office setting, try to use an ergonomic mouse
• Try to utilize technologies like voice commands and speech-to-text tools to minimize the stress on your hands

Polyarthritis

Sometimes arthritis only affects one single joint, but more often than not, it appears in multiple joints simultaneously. Rheumatoid arthritis is well known for this because it’s a systematic autoimmune disease that affects the whole immune system, and the symptoms often appear symmetrically on both sides of the body.

When some form of arthritis affects more than five joints, we call it polyarthritis.

It’s important to note that it’s also possible to have multiple different kinds of arthritis in parallel.

Treatment options for joint arthritis

Regardless of which joints arthritis appears in, it’s best to look for treatment options as soon as possible. For many forms of arthritis, an early diagnosis can make treatment more effective.

Different types of arthritis have different underlying causes and symptoms. Because of this, treatment options may also vary. Most kinds of joint arthritis are incurable, so usually, the goal is to minimize the impact of symptoms and slow down further progression of the disease.

Medications, physical therapy, alternative pain management methods, and surgery can all be part of the treatment plan. If you’d like to know more about your treatment options, see our article about remedies for arthritis.