Don’t confuse post-viral arthritis with reactive arthritis as both types of arthritis generally share common symptoms. However, in reality, both are separate conditions with varying causative factors but almost similar complications.
Let’s understand both conditions in depth so that one can not only recognize and differentiate between post-viral arthritis and reactive arthritis but can also treat them at an earlier stage.
Understanding Post-Viral and Reactive Arthritis
First Post-viral arthritis:
It is a type of arthritis that mainly arises as a result of some viral infection. The viral infection inside the system can affect any part of the body but in certain circumstances, the major symptoms are seen in the joints.
The symptoms and complications of post-viral arthritis are quite similar to conditions like rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis. Still, as compared to these disorders, post-viral arthritis shows less intense symptoms.
Symptoms: The symptoms of post-viral arthritis on the joints can be seen within a few hours or days after the viral infection has entered your body. Below are some common symptoms that are seen among such patients:
- Painful joints
- Redness and itching
- Rashes on the skin
- Persisting feverish feeling
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Intense muscles aches
- Limited range of motion
- Nausea and vomiting
- Conjunctivitis, also called pink-eye
Cause: As we already mentioned viral viruses and infections are the prime causes responsible for the development of post-viral arthritis. Now these viruses could be of any type such as dengue, chikungunya, coronavirus, hepatitis B and C, HIV or Epstein-Barr, etc.
Reactive arthritis:
The presence of bacterial infection in any part of the body can also result in joint complications or arthritis which we commonly call reactive arthritis. Besides just being confined to the joints alone, it goes further, and can even affect the eyes and urinary tract.
Unfortunately, there exists no specific way through which one can cure reactive arthritis. However, choosing Ayurveda has shown significantly marvellous results where patients succeeded in alleviating their joint complications within a few months of Ayurvedic treatment.
Symptoms: Symptoms of reactive arthritis are usually identical to other types of arthritis. It mainly involves:
- Painful joints
- Stiffness and skin rashes
- Pain in lower back and buttocks
- Ulcers in the mouth or near genitals
- Frequent urges to pee
- Eye problems like conjunctivitis or uveitis
- Diarrhea and occasional abdominal pain
- Weight loss and fatigue
- Pitted and thick nails
Cause: Infections in the intestines, genitals, or urinary tract make your body weak from the inside and initiate a triggering response affecting the joints of your body. The major infections that are known to cause reactive arthritis are as follows:
- CAMPYLOBACTER (bacteria causing gastrointestinal illness)
- CHLAMYDIA (A sexually transmitted infection)
- CLOSTRIDIOIDES DIFFICILE (Bacteria that cause ReA in kids)
- ESCHERICHIA COLI (Bacteria responsible for causing ReA)
- SALMONELLA (Food poisoning bacterium)
- SHIGELLA (Gastrointestinal problem)
- YERSINIA (Gastrointestinal illness)
Risk factors for Post-Viral arthritis: Besides viral infections and viruses, there could be a list of other factors that may contribute to the manifestation of post-viral and reactive arthritis, such as:
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Age: Generally, these types of arthritis are found among individuals whose age ranges somewhere between 20 to 40 years old.
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Sex: Well, we will not say that any of these types of arthritis is gender-specific or affects only one specific gender. However, as per the studies and patient ratio, we have found that men are more likely to experience reactive arthritis as compared to women.
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Genes: The presence of certain specific genes, mainly HLA-B27 make a person more prone to be a vitamin of all these types of arthritis and similar joint complications.
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Dietary choices: The food you eat can also be the actual culprit for developing post-viral and reactive arthritis symptoms. If you often consume non-vegetarian food, excessive dairy, junk, oily, and processed food, then it contributes to the risk of arthritis.
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Auto-immune conditions: Those who are dealing with any auto-immune diseases, or have any previous medical history related thereto, then there is a high chance of them having these problems.
What if taken for granted?
Intolerable pain and joint discomfort often compel you to opt for an effective treatment option. But still, if you do not opt for the necessary and effective treatment, then you are likely to experience a lot of intense concerns such as:
- Chronic arthritis
- Joint-deformity
- Compromised immune system
- Abnormal heart rhythm
However, you don’t have to deal either with the above-mentioned conditions or the complications of post-viral and reactive arthritis. A lot of wonderful preventive and curative measures are available through which a patient can not only reduce the symptoms of these 2 types of arthritis but also reduce the risk of further serious issues.
Preventive Measures
While looking at the increasing number of reactive and post-viral arthritis, the experts at Dr. Sharda Ayurveda have shared several measures through which a patient can prevent and even possibly cure arthritis.
Wanna know these wonderful measures? Read them below:
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Practice good hygiene: Various bacterial infections and viruses mainly arise due to poor hygiene. These infections and viruses once entered your system, can stay for prolonged periods and affect your body in several adverse ways possible including post-viral and reactive arthritis.
That’s why we highly recommend patients to practice good hygiene including washing their hands often, wearing gloves, using sanitizers and masks, and avoiding contact with all types of allergens/triggers.
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Work on your diet: Take care of your diet as it is the first medicine that can help you with your joint health. The expert suggests the exclusion of all types of food items that can affect the strength or density of your bones and joints.
For this, you are supposed to exclude excessive dairy products, non-vegetarian, junk, oily, fried, and frozen food from your meals completely.
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Lifestyle changes: As we know all types of arthritis affect the mobility of your joints. So it is highly advised to keep your body active so that your joints remain mobile and flexible.
For this, you can make certain healthy changes in your lifestyle such as daily yoga, walking, jogging, or even meditation. It will not only keep your body active and joints flexible but will also provide you with mental peace and clarity.
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Quit alcohol and smoking: Say a big no to alcohol, beer, wine, carbonated, and soda-based drinks. They contain several inflammatory and harmful compounds that make your joints brittle and weak from the inside.
Also, smoking has proven to generate an inflammatory response inside your body and make your joints weak and prone to fractures, or easy breakdown. So by saying no to all these, you can reduce the risk of all types of arthritis and joint disorders.
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Avoid frequent painkillers: We have seen arthritis patients taking multiple painkillers daily. They consider them the best solution for their pain. But that’s not true at all!
Statement from the experts of Dr. Sharda Ayurveda
In fact, these Western painkillers just suppress the pain for a confined period and they have nothing to do with treating your exact problem. Moreover, taking such painkillers in excess for prolonged periods can harm your body in multiple ways possible.
So a humble advice to all arthritis patients and even those who are dealing with any kind of disease is not to be habitual of such painkillers. Avoid them as much as you can.
Ayurveda For Reactive & Post-Viral Arthritis
In Ayurveda, we target the actual root cause of every disease. If talking particularly about reactive and post-viral arthritis, there are multiple healing herbs used to attain relief. For arthritis, the best herbs are as follows:
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Turmeric
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Ginger
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Aloe-vera
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Boswellia
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Devil’s claw
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Willow bark
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Guggulu
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Triphala
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Amla
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Ashwagandha
and so on and many…..
You can use these herbs either in their exact form or extract form. Else, you can add them to your meals or make their herbal teas to sip. Additionally, you can also prepare their herbal pastes and apply them to the affected areas of your joints for relief from the pain, redness, and inflammation caused by reactive and post-viral arthritis.
Conclusion
No matter whether you are dealing with reactive arthritis, post-viral arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, or even mild joint pain and swelling, you can attain relief under the shelter of Ayurvedic care.
