Posted: 11/27/2017
Parkland physician urges seniors, others to get checked for arthritis
Dianna Remmer first noticed the pain and stiffness in her back more than a decade ago. At first, the 69-year old Dallas resident attributed it to pain related to a degenerative back condition she was born with. But tests indicated something more – arthritis.
She is not alone. Although there were 1,650 patients at Parkland Health & Hospital System who were treated for a primary diagnosis related to arthritis in fiscal year 2016, countless others may have gone undiagnosed simply because they never discussed their symptoms with their physician.
“Many people accept joint pain as a part of aging that can’t be avoided. There are those who think there’s nothing that can be done about arthritis,” said Raja Paspula, MD, Senior Lead Staff Physician in Parkland’s Geriatrics and Senior Care Center. “But that’s not the case. Even though the diagnosis can be tricky, there are treatments that can help.”
According to the Arthritis Foundation, there are more than 100 types of arthritis and related conditions. Arthritis can start in many ways and can be difficult to recognize. It can come on slowly and be mild, or it can start suddenly and cause intense pain that surges within a few hours. The signs and symptoms can come and go over time. It might cause the classic issues of joint pain, swelling and stiffness, or it may first cause health problems that seem unrelated, like fatigue or a rash. Early signs of arthritis might be mistaken for an injury or the result of “too much activity.”
“At first I thought I must have injured myself because my back, neck and shoulder were hurting. That’s when my doctor ordered tests and I was diagnosed with arthritis in my back,” Remmer said, adding that she now suffers from the arthritic pain in her right hand, knee and is seeing the early symptoms in her right foot.
More than 50 million adults have doctor-diagnosed arthritis – that’s one in five people over age 18. Almost half of adults 65 years old or older have arthritis. In addition, the Arthritis Foundation reports that almost 300,000 babies and children have arthritis or a rheumatic condition. The most common type of arthritis is osteoarthritis, which affects an estimated 31 million Americans. By the year 2040, more than 78 million are predicted to have arthritis.
Remmer, who worked for years as a housekeeper and retired in 2014, was fortunate in that arthritis didn’t take her away from work.
“You can’t just lie around, you have to get up and move. And because the pain never goes away, you just accept it and go on,” she said.
Others are not so fortunate. Arthritis and other non-traumatic disorders are among the five most costly conditions affecting adults 18 and over. Every year, people with arthritis and other rheumatic conditions give up potential income due to injury or illness. The Arthritis Foundation reports that arthritis and related conditions account for more than $156 billion annually in lost wages and medical expenses.
Arthritis is more common in women (26 percent) than in men (18 percent). In some types, such as rheumatoid arthritis, women far outnumber men. In addition, African Americans, Hispanics, Asians and other minority populations in the U.S. have lower rates of arthritis compared to the white population although they may experience greater severity of pain and more work and daily activity limitations than whites, according to the Arthritis Foundation.
“Severe arthritis can result in chronic pain, inability to do daily activities and make it difficult to walk or climb stairs. It can also cause permanent joint changes,” Dr. Paspula said, noting that changes may be visible, such as knobby finger joints. “But often, the damage can only be seen on X-rays, that’s why it’s important to talk to your physician about the symptoms you’re experiencing.”
Some patients may benefit from medication or physical therapy, while others may require surgery including joint replacements to help reduce or eliminate the symptoms and improve the quality of life. Physicians may also recommend hydrotherapy, stretching, massage or acupuncture to relieve pain. Self-care treatments for arthritis, if approved by a physician, may include exercise, weight loss, a heating pad or a cold compress or ice pack.
Now that she’s retired, Remmer keeps moving by spending time with her three grandchildren and walking her Pitbull puppy. “I’m always looking for things to do to stay busy,” she said, adding that she “does better when she’s active.”
For more information about arthritis, visit www.arthritis.org . For more information about services available at Parkland, please visit www.parklandhospital.com