Arthritis is a chronic condition that affects around 10 million people in the UK. There are several different types of arthritis, all of which cause a variety of symptoms that induce pain and cause impaired mobility in sufferers.
In osteoarthritis, wear and tear causes the connective tissue known as cartilage to break down, allowing bones to rub against each other in the joints and bringing on severe pain. Hands, spine, knees and hips are the joints most frequently affected by the condition, although muscles and ligaments can also be affected. Osteoarthritis most commonly appears in those aged over 50 but a joint injury could cause the condition to develop at any age.
A more severe but less common form of the condition, rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, which develops when the immune system attacks the joints, causing an increase in fluid and leading to inflammation, pain, swelling and reduced movement for sufferers. Rheumatoid arthritis tends to start in those aged 40-50 and is three times more common in women than men.
Conventional medical treatment for arthritis includes anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids and painkillers, with the risk of severe side effects associated with some drug-based treatment, resulting in many arthritis sufferers looking to alternative therapies to bring relief from their painful symptoms.
Recent research in the US, published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing, reveals a growing number of patients with osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis have used alternative or complementary therapies and many reported beneficial effects in doing so. Of the 250 patients who participated in the study, 23% had tried alternative treatments alongside their prescribed medication and, of those, 64% noted positive effects such as reducing pain and alleviating sleep problems. Sufferers using alternative therapy also acknowledged an improvement in activity levels and reported being able to carry out daily tasks without pain.
The most commonly used alternative therapies were herbal remedies, with exercise, massage, acupuncture, yoga, meditation and dietary supplements also widely used. Alternative therapies were most popular in younger patients while 59% of those who participated in the study revealed they had not told their doctor they were trying alternative remedies.
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