Arthritis pain relief
Rheumatic diseases, which are one type of connective tissue disease, include a variety of different conditions. A common feature a rheumatic diseases is that they all involve joints and the surrounding tissues such as ligaments, tendons and muscles. Rheumatic diseases can involve other, seemingly unrelated organs as well, such as eyes, skin and glands. Rheumatic diseases are usually divided into those that primarily involve joints, known as arthritis, and those involving other tissues, generally referred to connective tissue diseases. Arthritis is a multifactorial degenerative joint disease, which progresses with age and results in joint stiffness, inflammation, and pain. A joint is formed where two bones meet. The healthy joint bones are lined with spongy cartilage which act as shock absorbers, and the synovial fluid, which is secreted by the synovial membrane lining the joint space, acts as a lubricant that prevents friction. There are two major types of arthritis, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis (OA), also known as degenerative joint disease, is the most common form of arthritis. Osteoarthritis is a condition occurring due to the progressive degeneration and the wearing away of the cartilage (the cushion between the joints), especially at the large joints like the hips and knees. It is a normal age-related degenerative process, occurring gradually after normal wear and tear. Being overweight, inheriting the wrong genes, or simply growing old can make the problem worse. Osteoarthritis begins with the breakdown of cartilage resulting in pain, inflammation, and progressive stiffness in the joint. Joint strengthening through exercise, weight maintenance, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can alleviate symptoms. Osteoarthritis is often accompanied by osteoporosis, a condition where the bone calcium resorption occurs due to hormonal imbalance, making the bone more brittle, which may lead to frequent fractures. Patients afflicted with this type of arthritis suffer pain in the affected area, and may also feel a grating sensation when the joint is flexed. In this variety of arthritis, the cartilage between the bones breaks down, causing the bones to rub against each other. The characteristic swelling may be caused by bone knobs and/or hardened cartilage areas. Symptoms in osteoarthritis tend to get worse with activity, so that the greatest pain is experienced at the end of the day. In contrast, the symptoms of inflammatory arthritis include the greatest pain occurring at the movement of a joint after a night's sleep of inactivity. Rheumatoid arthritis is a prostaglandin-mediated joint disease that leads to irreversible crippling of small joints, especially the fingers and toes. During the progression of rheumatoid arthritis, inflamed tissue and other substances in the joint erode the cartilage and bone. In some cases an individual may inherit a tendency toward rheumatoid arthritis. Various new and old drugs have been developed for the treatment of arthritis, anywhere from non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to cortisone. Many of these systemic drugs have dangerous side effects. Their dosage must be carefully prescribed and administered under controlled conditions and circumstances to avoid unpleasant and dangerous side effects. Several topical agents (creams, ointments, liniments, lotions and the like) have been utilized for the relief of the pains and aches of arthritis. Most of these have provided a little, but only temporary, relief to persons suffering from pain. Many combinations of varying ointments, creams, aqueous solutions, liniments and the like for the treatment of arthritis are known. The most efficacious of these contains as its active ingredient the vegetable products derived from the seed and pods of the capsicum plant, commonly known as red pepper. Capsicum-derived ointment is devised for external application to the affected area of the body by applying to the area adjacent to the muscle, joint or tendon and rubbing it into the skin. The active ingredient is capsaicin which is effective to relieve the aches and pains of various muscle or skeletal origin, such as arthritis, muscle strains, tendonitis, bursitis and soft tissue diseases. Capsacin is also effective to relieve the various musculoskeletal pains, itching, neuropathic pains, dysesthesias caused by shingles, post herpetic neuralgia, post mastectomy pain, and peripheral neuropathies.
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