Looking After the Symptoms of Juvenile Arthritis
As we age, our bodies have many more twinges and creaks and groans.
Tasks require more effort than they did in the earlier years, and you still feel the day’s work a week, or maybe even two, later. Unfortunately, this pain is also experienced by hundreds of thousands of children every year.
What starts as discomfort or minor irritation can become severe pain. For some, juvenile arthritis can be debilitating.
Juvenile arthritis is an autoimmune disease that affects the joints. They become inflamed and range of motion is severely limited. This disease strikes at a crucial stage of development, and children who suffer from it may not grow at the same pace as other children or reach their full height potential.
It is common for children with juvenile arthritis to experience stiffness in their joints in the morning.
If a child experiences this and other symptoms of juvenile arthritis that do not abate after six weeks, and there is no other medical cause for the pain or discomfort, then juvenile arthritis is often diagnosed. This disease is not diagnosed by a single test but must be made when other conditions have been ruled out.
Most often, a pediatric rheumatologist will be the one to finalize the diagnosis, as they specialize in arthritis in children.
It is vital to a child for their parents and care givers to understand their disease in order to have realistic physical expectations of them. This joint pain and inflammation is very real and can be very painful.
Three types of juvenile arthritis can afflict a young body. Pauciarticular juvenile arthritis affects four or fewer joints; polyarticular juvenile arthritis affects five or more joints; and systemic onset juvenile arthritis affects at least one joint and causes inflammation of internal organs as well.
Any treatment program for juvenile arthritis is meant to alleviate discomfort of the sufferer. This is achieved by controlling inflammation, preventing or controlling joint damage and maximizing joint and bodily functions.
Exercising to keep the joints from tensing and becoming inflamed will be an element of a child’s therapy.
Yoga is one such exercise that is good for minimizing stress in the joints. In addition, meditation and other relaxation methods can be used. Splints, when worn at night, also help reduce the stiffness and pain that children with juvenile arthritis experience in the morning.
It is important to consult with specialists in juvenile arthritis, particularly if the child’s condition is severe.
Pediatric rheumatologists and primary care physicians are important members of the health team. Any and all signs of inflammation should be checked because juvenile arthritis can affect bodily functions.
Depression can also be a factor for children with juvenile arthritis. Often, they are not able to participate in the same activities as their peers, which can cause feelings of low self-worth or low self-esteem.
For parents and caregivers, it is important to acknowledge the child’s feelings, and yet help the child focus on what they can do instead of what they cannot.
Stress is detrimental to health and serves no purpose in the treatment of juvenile arthritis. Therefore be sure to reassure the child in a way the causes them the least amount of stress.
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Written by Brad Morgan on October 8th, 2009 with
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