Can botox injections help my arthritic pain?

Botox mania has really caught on in America. While the drug is useful for some headaches and wrinkles, there are some people who claim that it may also work by relieving arthritis pain. So far, only a few anecdotal reports exists about botox and arthritis.

However, the amount of botox injected is significant and the pain relief obtained is only of short duration. Moreover, the pain relief is not observed by all people with arthritis. In addition, you also have to consider the cost of Botox- the more you get injected, the bigger the bill. Botox works by blocking the ability of muscles to contract and so how it relieves pain in the joints is unknown. 

Botox is not a cure for any type of arthritis nor is it a replacement for the traditional arthritic medication. Right now, I would not recommend botox because it appears that the only people who are promoting it are those who sell the therapy and some of these are unscrupulous doctors. 

What I would recommend though, is exercise on a regular basis, reduce your weight and continue with whatever medication you have been prescribed.

What are risk factors for arthritis?

There are several risk factors for arthritis. These include the following:

Family history is not important for osteoarthritis but appears to play a role in rheumatoid arthritis. If your parents had rheumatoid arthritis, then it is likely that you may also develop the same disorder. Not everyone, though, in the family develop rheumatoid arthritis.

For osteoarthritis, age is a risk factor. As you age, the general wear and tear of the joints is progressive. Women generally are more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis.

Anyone who has had a prior joint injury while playing sports or from a fall is more at risk for developing osteoarthritis later in life. This is commonly seen in athletes who often have severe arthritis of the wrist, ankles and knee later in life.

Obesity is a big risk factor for many medical disorders and also for arthritis. The excess weight puts a lot of stress on the weight bearing joints. Most obese people tend to develop osteoarthritis early in life.

What is the difference between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis?

Osteoarthritis is due to the general wear and tear of the joint from daily living activities. The bones grind against each other and lead to destruction of the cartilage. This wear and tear happens in everyone but can be hastened by joint injury, obesity or infection. Osteoarthritis usually affects the large joints of the body like the knee, hip or spine.

Rheumatoid arthritis occurs because of some problem with the immune system. For some unknown reason, the body’s defense mechanism starts to attack the joint structures causing inflammation, redness and swelling. Rheumatoid arthritis is also a progressive disease and can be very deforming. It tends to affect small joints and is usually bilateral and symmetrical. For example, fingers on both hands may be affected at the same time.

Neither condition is curable and all treatments only deal with the symptoms.