When Does Joint Pain Signal Arthritis

Most of us do it. We wake up one day, feel some aches and pains in our joints and immediately think, "Must be arthritis."

The good news is that we’re probably wrong. But even if we’re not, the presence of early arthritic changes in our joints doesn’t automatically mean that we have to curtail our active lifestyles anytime soon.

Age-related arthritis — also called degenerative or osteoarthritis — remains a concern as we reach our middle years, especially for those of us who remember watching our grandparents and then our parents slow down because of joint disease.

This form of arthritis causes the normally smooth cartilage in your joints to become rough and worn over time. This can produce symptoms such as joint pain, stiffness, warmth and creaking or cracking.

Unlike some other forms of arthritis, degenerative arthritis usually affects just one or two joints; the weight-bearing joints — the hip and knee — are the most common sites.

For many baby boomers, we associate this condition with wrinkles and gray hair. As we start to notice a few wrinkles on our own faces and some gray in our own hair, we start to fear that joint disease can’t be far behind.

Sometimes, it is. Sometimes, it isn’t.

Not everyone will develop arthritis. In our 40s and early 50s, the everyday aches and pains that we often experience may occur for other, unrelated reasons.

Mild muscle strain, inflammation of soft tissues or just "overdoing it" can cause temporary pain and stiffness that we may mistake for arthritis. In fact, most of us can look forward to enjoying another decade or two of pain-free activity before our joints begin to show signs of extensive wear and tear.

For some of us, though, the gnawing suspicion that those twinges of pain "must be arthritis" turns out to be true.

After all, our joints have endured a lifetime of rigorous use - walking, climbing stairs, bending to pick up children - so it’s easy to understand how they can start to wear out after four or five decades.

Fortunately, there’s more good news.

For many baby boomers, mild arthritis is nothing more than a minor annoyance. A few simple self-help measures - using over-the-counter pain relievers as directed and exercising to keep our muscles strong - can usually provide relief and allow us to resume our normal activities for years to come.

For moderate to severe pain, you may benefit from the many treatments now available through your doctor.

These treatments include prescription-strength medications that can reduce pain and swelling. Physical therapy can help strengthen muscles and take pressure off the damaged joint. And injections of steroids or another substance, called hyaluronic acid, directly into the joint can provide months of symptom relief.

Because arthritis is considered a "lifestyle-threatening" condition, the goal of treatment is always to ease your joint pain and restore mobility. With proper treatment, the chances are good that you can remain active for years to come.

When an ache is just an ache.
As we age, we become more sensitive to changes in our bodies. Aches and pains that we ignored in our 20s and 30s make us think twice in our 40s and 50s: "Could there be something wrong?" we wonder.

Relax. Most discomfort you feel in your joints and muscles comes from nothing more than a minor strain or injury that will heal just fine.

You can help speed the process by using common sense and a few off-the-shelf remedies.

Use pain relievers like acetaminophen or ibuprofen to reduce discomfort. Apply moist heat or a pain-relieving topical ointment to soothe sore muscles. Stretch the affected area gently to loosen tight muscles and increase blood circulation. Resume your normal activities gradually as the injury heals.

Though most aches and pains that you feel aren’t associated with arthritis or another musculoskeletal disease, some require medical care to promote proper healing.

See your doctor if you experience severe swelling, intense or prolonged pain, a change in the appearance of the injured area or an inability to put weight on the affected area after a day or two.