The more stress you're under, the more destructive your inflammation and arthritis can become. Even people with the most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis, find that stress compounds their discomfort. Stress can cause you to tense up muscles, which only increases your joint pain.
But ongoing stress can take a toll on your health. It can also make any health condition that you have feel worse, including arthritis. When your body is under stress, it releases chemicals that can trigger inflammation and pain. So you might be more likely to have arthritis flare-ups when you're feeling stress.
The longer you're exposed to stress, the more destructive the inflammation can become. In a PLoS One study, people with RA identified stress as a trigger for disease flare-ups. Arthritis symptoms contribute to stress, especially when they're unrelenting. Constant pain, fatigue, and poor sleep create a vicious cycle.
Not only are symptoms of anxiety and depression common among US adults with arthritis, these symptoms have also been associated with reduced response to arthritis treatment and poorer quality of life. Improving mental health can even reduce pain, independent of other pain management strategies.
Stress Inflammation One of the most common issues inside the body caused by stress is inflammation. Since anxiety causes long-term stress, inflammation is more likely. That same inflammation may cause your joints to swell, which ultimately leads to more pain with your movements.
Stay active: Exercise plays an important role in both mental and physical health. Limit alcohol and caffeine: Alcohol and caffeine can intensify anxiety and joint pain. Stay positive: Try to look at the bright side of things.
Psychological stress triggers inflammatory activity and affective-cognitive changes that play a critical role in the onset, maintenance, and recurrence of depression.
The most common triggers of an OA flare are overdoing an activity or trauma to the joint. Other triggers can include bone spurs, stress, repetitive motions, cold weather, a change in barometric pressure, an infection or weight gain. Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an inflammatory disease that affects the skin and joints.
Stress is a common part of life, but prolonged stress over time can cause rheumatoid arthritis pain to become worse. People with osteoarthritis may also feel their joint pain more prominently when they are experiencing high periods of stress.
Adults with arthritis are more likely to have anxiety or depression symptoms than those who do not have arthritis. Of the 58.5 million adults with arthritis, over 10 million report symptoms of anxiety or depression.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory joint condition and an autoimmune disease that can be caused by stress, according to research. Stress triggers rheumatoid arthritis by setting off the immune system's inflammatory response in which cytokines are released.
Studies show that stress can cause rheumatoid arthritis flare-ups. The stress takes a mental toll, too. The emotional effects of intense stress may make the chronic pain and other symptoms feel more difficult to manage.
Staying hydrated is vital when you live with arthritis. Hydration is key for flushing toxins out of your body, which can help fight inflammation, and well-hydrated cartilage reduces the rate of friction between bones, meaning you can move more easily.
Having an arthritis flare can feel like hitting a wall. Your arthritis has been manageable, then suddenly swollen joints, pain, fatigue and mental fogginess derail your day-to-day activities. For some people, flares are an inevitable part of the arthritis journey.
Arthritis flare-ups can last one to two days, or they can last a week or more. Can arthritis flare-ups cause a fever? Some types of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis, can cause fever along with joint symptoms.
People describe it as being overwhelming and uncontrollable. They feel worn out and drained of energy, and sometimes even lose all interest in anything. It can increase the need for sleep and make it hard to concentrate or do anything.
On a neurological level physical pain and depression have a deep biological connection; the neurotransmitters that influence both pain and mood are serotonin and norepinephrine. Joint pain is just one of several common physical symptoms people with low mood and depression can experience.
Rheumatoid arthritis can be one of the most painful types of arthritis; it affects joints as well as other surrounding tissues, including organs. This inflammatory, autoimmune disease attacks healthy cells by mistake, causing painful swelling in the joints, like hands, wrists and knees.
Joint damage
If rheumatoid arthritis is not treated early or is not well controlled, the inflammation in your joints could lead to significant and permanent damage. Problems that can affect the joints include: damage to nearby bone and cartilage (a tough, flexible material that covers the surface of joints)
Chronic stress is linked to other conditions, both psychological and physical. These can include: Diseases such as hypertension, heart disease, obesity and metabolic syndrome, Type II diabetes, and arthritis.
Chronic stress contributes to inflammation. Use meditation, yoga, biofeedback, guided imagery or some other method to manage stress throughout the day.
Depression Pro-inflammatory cytokines, those chemical messengers released in response to physical or psychological stress, can trigger depressive symptoms in some people, leading to lowered mood, fatigue, and lack of normal enjoyment of life.
Just as the effects of weather vary, the best climate may not be the same for all people. But based on research, it appears that for most people with arthritis, a warmer, drier climate may be optimal, such as that in parts of Texas, Arizona, Nevada and the Eastern Sierra region of California.