Sitting in a chair,at work, in pain?

Answers & Questions

about undiagnosed inflammation,

pain and swelling.

You’re not alone – millions of people have at least one form of arthritis or

musculoskeletal disorder.

• 30% of people suffer from arthritis symptoms

• 10-15% of people have osteoarthritis

• 1-10% are partly-fully disabled due to arthritis

• 0.1-1% of people suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, lupus

or other debilitating diseases like ankylosing spondylitis

SOURCE: West, Dr. Sterl ing G. (2002) Rheumatology Secrets. (2nd ed.) Philadelphia (PA): Hanley & Belfus.

They include a wide variety of complex disorders, many of which can go

undiagnosed or untreated:

• Autoimmune (self-attacking)

• Degenerative (wearing down & destruction)

• Metabolic (physiologically transformational)

• Vascular (affecting blood flow)

That means many people are suffering without knowing why, and living without treatment.

…or a plan on how to manage life with

disease.

If you're sitting painfully in your chair wondering if this could be you, consider the benefits of early disease detection:

• Treat symptoms and disease early, minimizing

downtime and discomfort

• Spend less now than you would for more complex

treatments later

• Feel better, quicker than you’ll be able to later

• Keep one more person out of the health system

Answer the following 6 questions about your

current health…

Do you have joint swelling or stiffness, such as…

Finger

Wrists

Shoulders

Spine

Hips

Knees

Ankles

Toes

Do you have joint swelling or muscle pain for…

One month

A period of months

Up to a year

More than a year

Do you have joint stiffness at certain points in the day, such as…

Early morning

Middle of the day

Evening

Do you have joint stiffness that lasts a certain amount of time, such as…

30 minutes

A few hours at a time

More

Do you have strange symptoms alongside joint pain, swelling or stiffness, such as:

bowel problems

dry eyes or mouth

eye inflammation

mouth ulcers

fever or night sweats

unintentional weight loss

rashes

discoloration of the fingers

changes to your nails

Have close members of your family had medical conditions with any symptoms

similar to those mentioned here?

Joint or muscle pain, stiffness or swelling

Bowel problems

Changes in eyes, mouth or nails

Other symptoms, like ulcers, rashes, discolorations

Fever, sweats or unintentional weight loss

Did you answer “yes” to any of these questions?

If so, and you have not consulted with a physician since these

symptoms, you should soon.

Consider these final 6 important points:

If you smoke, you're likely making it worse.

If you drink alcohol, you're likely making it

worse.

If you're not eating healthy, you're likely

making it worse.

If your work isn't flexible, allowing periods of rest or

light movement, you're likely making it worse.

If you work to a point of stress, you're likely

making it worse.

If you don’t consult a physician about diagnosing, treating, and

living a healthy life with your disease, it will likely get worse.

MyArthritis.info

If you have any concerns, see your family physician or a

rheumatologist.

Patient education on rheumatic diseases.