The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion estimates that almost 60 million people in America are affected by arthritis. Because arthritis can cause aching pain and disability, it helps to consider Greensboro family & primary care services. Receiving family and primary care, especially when you are 30 and above, can enable an early start in managing symptoms.
You will be subjected to physical examinations and lab testing when you visit a family and primary care doctor. Your doctor will examine how your unhealthy joints move during a physical exam.
Your doctor may also ask if your affected joints produce pain and discomfort while in use, such as when you walk or stretch them. Different imaging techniques like X-rays can show if you have inflamed joints. Here are signs that can indicate arthritis and thus should never be ignored.
- Inflammation of one or more joints
Joints are important in your body as they provide a smooth surface to stop the connecting bones from sliding against each other. The joint surfaces of your bones are covered with a cartilage layer.
Your joints’ cartilage layer can irritate or degenerate because of an accident, infection, or a medical condition. Other activities that exert repeated stress on your joints can also irritate them, making them inflamed. An inflamed joint can also appear red and feel warm.
A joint swelling should make you concerned, and seek medical help. Joint swelling can happen in any part of your body. Inflammation can occur in the smaller joints of your feet and hands or the larger joints of your shoulder or lower back.
- Stiff joints
When your age is above 30, there is a higher chance of you having joints that feel a bit stiff after waking up. The joint stiffness lasts about half an hour.
However, if joint stiffness lasts until or beyond lunch hour, you may have a serious joint condition.
The stiff joints usually also appear if you have been sitting or performing a certain activity for too long.
A stiff joint can substantially reduce your flexibility or range of motion. It becomes painful to bend your toes or move your feet. You will labor to button or unbutton your shirts, extend your arm beyond shoulder height, and perform other routine tasks.
- Grinding noise from joints
The grinding noise that an inflamed joint usually produces is named crepitus. Because of the degeneration of the soft cushion or cartilage of joints, they become rough and thus creak or pop when moved.
- Deformed joint
The damage in the flexible tissue of your joints can become severe, causing deformed joints. Bony changes often affect the small joints and bones of your foot and ankle.
Management of your arthritis by a qualified doctor can help minimize the severity of its symptoms. Generally, minimized joint pain and stiffness will allow you to live a healthy, productive life for longer.
Contact Triad Primary Care today to schedule an appointment with a family and primary care provider for chronic conditions like arthritis. Your doctor can advise you to use medicine or make some positive changes in your life.