Although many people may not consider it to be so, inflammatory osteoarthritis is a type of disease no matter which way you look at it. Just as is seronegative inflammatory arthritis and the other over one hundred types of arthritis that a person can be diagnosed with. Now arthritis does not have to rule your life and you can deal effectively with the disease as long as you follow the right guidelines.

The Disease

The first thing that anyone diagnosed with inflammatory osteoarthritis must do is learn more about the disease. Of course you don’t want to hear more about all the horrible things that the disease can do but by making yourself more educated and learning about what you are going through and what you will be going through, you will feel much safer and more secure, and be able to make the right steps in terms of treatment.

Inflammatory osteoarthritis is a condition that typically affects middle-aged women, and appears suddenly and affects the last and middle joints of the fingers. It causes sudden pain and swelling of these affected joints, and if left untreated will only continue to worsen.

Treatment

In terms of the treatments that are available for inflammatory osteoarthritis, there are actually a few in particular that have proven to be very effective. Normally, doctors will start off by treating inflammatory osteoarthritis with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. If nothing else, these drugs will help to reduce the swelling so that you can at least carry on with most of your day to day tasks and not feel completely crippled and helpless.

You should also make some serious lifestyle changes if necessary. Smokers should try and quit or at least cut back because smoking has a major detrimental effect on the bones and joints of the body and so it will really only be helping the disease cause as much damage as possible. The same goes for excessive drinkers.

Also you should keep a careful eye on your diet and exercise regime if you are diagnosed with inflammatory osteoarthritis. Make sure that you are eating around six smaller meals a day, which should be full of good for you foods like leafy green vegetables and legumes. Fiber is also an important part of any diet, and will keep you regular and ensure that your digestive system is kept intact.

These tips will all be very helpful if you are diagnosed with this disease and are struggling to cope through it.