The term arthritis comes from the root word for joint “arthro” and “itis” meaning inflammation. Arthritis is a disease process causing joint pain, stiffness and swelling. It is a complex disorder that comprises more than 100 distinct conditions and can affect people at any age. Two of the most common forms are Osteoarthritis (OA) and Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).
OA and RA have different causes and effects on the body, yet they often share a common symptom — persistent joint pain. The joint pain of arthritis can appear as knee pain, hip pain, hand pain, or wrist pain, as well as joint pain in other areas of the body. Symptoms of joint pain, stiffness and/or swelling for more than 2 weeks, may indicate you have arthritis.
Symptoms
The most common symptoms of OA include steady or intermittent pain in a joint, stiffness after periods of inactivity, especially sleeping or sitting, swelling or tenderness in a joint or joints and crunching sounds or feelings (crepitus) when moving a joint.
Symptoms of RA differ from person to person but generally include: Joint tenderness, warmth, and swelling. Both sides of the body are usually affected at the same time. For example, if one knee is affected, the other one is also, unlike osteoarthritis, where it is possible for only one knee to be affected. Other symptoms of include pain and stiffness in the morning that lasts for more than one hour, fatigue, occasional fever and a general sense of not feeling well.
How a 3-Point Splint Can Help
Many of the splints on this web site were designed to rest inflamed joints while others were designed to protect and properly align joints during the performance of daily activities. Proper splinting may help prevent or reduce the deformities of the fingers and hand caused by arthritis.
Persons with arthritis may need two splints, one to rest the joints at night and one to support the joints while still allowing for function.
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