Effective Joint Pain Management For Arthritis Sufferers
Could Your Pain Be Caused By Osteoarthritis Or Rheumatoid Arthritis?
There are a variety of different types of arthritis. Two of the common types treated in our New Jersey-based pain management clinic are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. While the pain that results from these conditions can be similar, they may have different accompanying symptoms that can help our back and neck pain treatment team make an accurate diagnosis.
Difference Between Rheumatoid Arthritis and Osteoarthritis
Because both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis involve an increasing amount of stiffness and pain in the joints over time, these conditions are often confused with one another. However, they’re completely different conditions, with separate causes, individual symptoms and differing treatment plans.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease. The joint symptoms are created by immune cells attacking a patient’s own body, particularly the healthy tissue of the joint known as the synovial membrane. Doctors are unsure what triggers this autoimmune condition, so it’s difficult to pinpoint a specific cause. Some of the symptoms experienced by rheumatoid arthritis patients include:
- Rapid onset
- Inflammation
- Pain, swelling and stiffness in multiple joints
- Joint symptoms that symmetrically affect both sides of the body
- Stiffness in the morning that lasts longer than half an hour
- Fatigue or malaise
- Fever and chills
