Читать книгу Arthritis For Dummies - Barry Fox - Страница 28

With all the different kinds of arthritis, how do you know whether you have one of them? Remember two things: Arthritis can strike anyone at any time, and many times you may find it difficult to tell whether the pain you’re experiencing is serious enough to warrant medical attention. Almost everyone has had an ache or pain at some time or has overextended herself physically, but you need to know what is minor and temporary, and what may be serious and long term. Knowing what to watch for can make a difference in your treatment and physical comfort. Typical warning signs of arthritis include:

 Joint pain: This not only includes steady, ever-present pain, but also off-again-on-again pain, pain that occurs only when you’re moving or only when you’re sitting still. In fact, if your joints hurt in any way for more than two weeks, you should see your doctor.

 Stiffness or difficulty in moving a joint: If you have trouble getting out of bed, unscrewing a jar lid, climbing the stairs, or doing anything else that involves moving your joints, consider it a red flag. Although difficulty moving a joint is most often the result of a muscular condition (like tendonitis due to overuse, or muscle ache), it could be a sign of arthritis.

 Swelling: If the skin around a joint is red, puffed up, hot, throbbing, or painful to the touch, you’re experiencing joint inflammation. Don’t wait. See your doctor.

The warning signs may come in triplicate (pain plus stiffness plus swelling), two together, or one all alone. Or, as you find out in Chapters 3 and 4, you may experience other early signs, such as malaise or muscle pain. But if you experience any of these or other symptoms in or around a joint for longer than two weeks, you should see your doctor.

You may be tempted to read this book’s descriptions of various diseases, pick out the one with symptoms most closely matching yours, and make your own diagnosis. Some people may make the right diagnosis. But a lot of people make the wrong one, because the symptoms of many forms of arthritis overlap with those of other forms of the disease — they can even be confused with entirely different ailments. Making the wrong diagnosis can lead to the wrong treatment, which can be dangerous. Do not self-diagnose. No matter how obvious the situation seems, go to a medical doctor, have a complete examination, and get an “official” diagnosis.