If you were to picture someone with arthritis, you’d probably imagine an older person who gets the odd ache or pain in their hand or knee, but, unfortunately, you’d be terribly off the mark. Arthritis affects the wellbeing of people from all ages, and does far more wellness damage that just a twinge in your wrist. It’s the biggest cause of pain and disability in the UK, affecting toddlers, children, teens and adults.
During National Arthritis Week, Arthritis Research UK laid out five common arthritis myths. These were; ‘arthritis is only an old person’s disease’, ‘arthritis is just aches and pains as you get older’, ‘if you have arthritis there’s not much you can do to improve your condition’, ‘if you’ve got joint, back or neck pain you should avoid exercise’, and ‘arthritis is inevitable and there’s not much you can do about it’. These beliefs are simply untrue, but Arthritis Research UK found that, nationwide, many people hold these myths to be true, and have a poor understanding of what the condition means.
During their National Arthritis Week survey, Arthritis Research UK found that, in this country, 10 million people, including more than 15,000 children, are affected by arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions, but over two-thirds (68%) of the public are unaware that children under the age of ten can be affected. Further, 45% believe that arthritis simply means ‘aches and pains when you get old’, when the term actually describes two hundred conditions affecting the bones, joints and muscles, and some of these can also seriously damage your internal organs.
Perhaps most worryingly of all, three in 10 people in the UK think that there’s nothing you can do about arthritis and people with joint pain simply have to put up with it, and a third of those surveyed reported that they would wait a few weeks before consulting a healthcare professional about pain in their joints. In reality, early diagnosis and treatment can make a huge difference to the prognosis and outcome of your inflammatory arthritis. There are many treatments and self-help measures that could drastically relieve your joint pain, so consult your doctor or look online for more information.
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