{"id":573,"date":"2020-04-22T20:51:23","date_gmt":"2020-04-22T19:51:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.physiotherapymatters.co.uk\/occupational-health\/?page_id=573"},"modified":"2024-03-25T22:21:16","modified_gmt":"2024-03-25T22:21:16","slug":"arthritis-at-work","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.physiotherapymatters.co.uk\/occupational-health\/conditions\/arthritis-at-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Arthritis at Work"},"content":{"rendered":"

Arthritis<\/h2>\n

There are<\/span> many different forms of arthritis that can be diagnosed from inflammatory issues like gout<\/span>, which may <\/span>affect<\/span> one joint like the big toe, to <\/span>whole body systemic<\/span> types like<\/span> Lupus, wh<\/span>ich can attack joints, connective <\/span>tissue<\/span> and effect organs. <\/span>Perhaps though the<\/span> two<\/span> most common<\/span> types of arthritis <\/span>discussed in the media are <\/span>os<\/span>t<\/span>eoarthritis<\/span> and rheumatoid arthritis<\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

1. What is Osteoarthritis?<\/h2>\n

Osteoarthritis is the word used to describe the \u2018wear\u2019 of joint surfaces. These changes are a normal part of aging and can be seen on scans in all of us at some point in our lives, some earlier or more severely than others. While as many as 30% of all those over the age of 50 show some signs of \u2018wear and degeneration’ on scans, only a small portion of those actually have any symptoms at all, and so it is more common to NOT experience any signs or symptoms. However, when you do have pain associated with your osteoarthritis, it can be a major cause of disability, pain, impaired mobility and decreased quality of life.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Signs associated with arthritis are joint pains that are made worse by prolonged positions or with loading activity which is more than the joint is used to. Your joints also may feel hot and stiff, and you may see some variable levels of swelling around the effected joint.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What Causes Osteoarthritis to <\/span>\u2018Flare up\u2019<\/span>?<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Osteoarthritis can become painful following a physical trauma (such as a road traffic collision or accident at work) or from a very slow, low-level feed of irritation from a combination of factors such as increased physical activities\/ excessive static postures, period of weight gain or possibly from reactions going on in the body and manifesting at the effected joint after a virus for example.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The likelihood of developing symptoms and the severity of symptoms depends on a combination of factors including<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n