About half of people 65 and older have arthritis.  Arthritis causes painful and stiff joints.  For older people arthritis is usually a chronic problem, meaning it will last a long time.  There are several types of arthritis, which have different symptoms and treatments.  Some types of arthritis cause swelling, warmth and redness in your joints.  Sometimes the pain and swelling are intense and last a short time, while others have fewer symptoms but slowly damage the joints over time. Older people most often have osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or gout. 

Common Kinds of Arthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis in older people. It starts when the cartilage padding in the joints starts to wear away.  Eventually the bones in the joints can rub against each other.  Osteoarthritis usually attacks the hands, neck, lower back, or large weight-bearing joints of your body, such as knees and hips.

The symptoms range from stiffness and mild pain that comes and goes with activities such as walking, bending, or stooping.  Some people have severe joint pain that disturbs rest and sleep. Osteoarthritis can cause joints to become very stiff when people are still for a while, such as after riding in a car.  But moving the joint helps the stiffness go away.  Overtime, osteoarthritis can cause more problems with the joints and sometimes leads to disability when the back, knees or hips are affected. Some causes of osteoarthritis are just getting older, a family tendency, being overweight or obese, and some injuries or overuse of the joints.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease, meaning that your body is attacking itself.  The lining of the joints is injured and becomes inflamed, with symptoms such as pain, swelling, and stiffness that lasts for hours.  Rheumatoid arthritis can cause a general feeling of illness, along with being tired or having a fever.  Joints in the fingers, wrists, shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, ankles, feet, and neck can be affected.  Rheumatoid arthritis can also injure other parts of the body, such as the heart, muscles, blood vessels, nervous system, and eyes.

Gout is one of the most painful forms of arthritis.  Crystals of a body chemical called “uric acid” form in the connective tissue and/or joint spaces.  This causes swelling, redness, heat, pain, and stiffness. Gout attacks often follow eating foods such as shellfish, liver, dried beans, peas, anchovies, or gravy.  Things that make gout worse are: using alcohol, being overweight, and taking certain medications, such as some blood pressure medicines.  Having gout in the big toe is common, and gout can also affect the ankle, elbow, knee, wrist, hand, or other toes. Swelling makes the area red or purple and very tender.

Know the Warning Signs, Get Checked, and Get Help!
Review the handout called “Arthritis: Know the Warning Signs, Get Checked, and Get Help!” [Word|PDF] Do see your doctor if you have any of the symptoms listed for two weeks or longer.  Your doctor will ask you about your symptoms and do a physical exam, and may do other tests such as x-rays before suggesting a plan for treatment.

Treatments For Arthritis
Although each kind of arthritis is handled a bit differently, they share some common treatments such as rest, exercise, eating a healthy, well-balanced diet, and learning the right way to use and protect the joints are helpful for all types of arthritis.  Wearing right shoes and using a cane helps with pain in the feet, knees, and hips when walking.  There are various gadgets to help open jars and bottles, or to turn door knobs more easily.

Be sure to ask and work with your doctor to get the medicines that will work best for you and your arthritis pain. Several common types are listed on the handout.  Carefully read the package inserts of both prescription and non-prescription medicines so that you can report any side-effects to your doctor.
At the bottom of the handout, you’ll see that healthy eating is about the same for people with arthritis as for everyone else.  Aim to eat 7 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables daily, three servings of whole grains, three servings of low-fat milk products, and lean protein from meat poultry, or fish. Fish a few times a week will provide an important nutrient called “n-3 fats” or “omega-3 fats.”  These are important for everyone for healthy functioning of the brain, heart, and perhaps the joints, too.  So include some fish in your diet for overall good health.

Ask your doctor if you should take any supplements for your joint health.  The research is not yet clear on the benefits of fish oil supplements, glucosamine, or chondroitin sulphate for joint health.  So work closely with your doctor to see if any of these might help you and be sure to tell your doctor of any side-effects you may experience from these supplements.  If you do decide to buy supplements, then be sure to purchase them from a local pharmacy or grocery store that you trust. Avoid purchasing supplements from people you don’t know or over the internet.

The next handout is called “Arthritis: Treatments and Physical Activity.” [Word|PDF] It has suggestions for treatments for the three most common types of arthritis in older people. Remember that being physically active everyday is helpful for people with arthritis.  Ask your doctor what is best for you. Many people find that walking and swimming is helpful.  Aerobic and endurance exercises are good for our overall health, help prevent weight gain that can make arthritis worse, and may help lessen joint swelling.  Some other tips are shown at the bottom of the handout for people with arthritis.

Because arthritis affects so many older people, there are a lot of scams for arthritis.  So take time to review the handout called “Avoid Awful Arthritis Rip-Offs.” [Word|PDF]

Healthy eating is a very important part of overall health as well as treatment arthritis. We’ve provided a full day’s menu and a recipe that illustrate a well-balanced meal plan.

Sample Menu and Recipe for Healthy Eating

Take a look at the handout called “Sample Menu #8.” [Word|PDF]