From the rolling mountains to the sandy shores, Maryland is filled with natural marvels and outdoor recreational areas to camp, hike, bike, and canoe. When you plan a family trip to the Chesapeake Bay or Lake Needwood, it’s essential to be physically fit and in the prime of your health to enjoy the city’s recreational areas.
With almost 27 million Americans suffering from osteoarthritis, it has become a most common ailment that confines people indoors, robbing them from enjoying Maryland’s outdoor air.
However, if you notice osteoarthritis signs, you can reach out to pain management experts in the best Maryland pain clinic offering high-end treatments to help you recover soon. Here are some signs which might indicate that you have osteoarthritis and in immediate need of medical attention.
Stiffness in Your Joints
Stiffness in the joints is most common in people who are over the age of 65. In Maryland, the demography comprises 16% of residents who are over 65 years of age. According to the Maryland State Retirement and Pension System, the eligibility for retirement is 60 or 65.
When seniors retire at this age, they adapt to a sedentary lifestyle, spending most of their time indoors, watching TV, or reading a book. Joint stiffness occurs after long hours of inactivity and is a prevalent sign of osteoarthritis.
You can alleviate the stiffness by slowly moving and warming up your affected joints during the initial onset. But in the long term, you should get it treated by qualified physicians in the best Maryland pain clinic.
Severe Inflammation and Swelling
A small amount of fluid will generally exist in the joints, and it is completely natural and in no way harmful. But when the amount of fluid increases abnormally and builds-up leading to swelling, it is a clear sign of osteoarthritis.
Many Maryland residents work in job groups, including construction, carpentry, electrical installation, painting, and plumbing services. Performing these activities for long hours leads to swelling, inflammation, and joint pain.
If you experience severe swelling, your joints may feel warm when you touch, and you must visit any Maryland pain clinic immediately.
Cracking or Clicking Sounds
Maryland’s varied climate and terrain make it a paradise for nature lovers. With numerous state parks, Ride the Rail trails, Stand-Up Paddle Boarding, and bird-watching spots, everyone has a way to enjoy the outdoors.
However, sometimes overdoing strenuous physical activities can strain your joint and affect its movement. If you hear a clicking, creaking, or cracking sound when you are moving your joints, it results from bone-to-bone contact.
It can hinder your movements, and sometimes even simple activities like jogging or walking can become strenuous, potentially indicating a symptom of osteoarthritis.
Decreased Flexibility & Range of Motion
You don’t have to be a tourist to plan a one-day trip around Maryland. From sunset and day cruises to sailing and forest trails, you can put your fitness to test even on a short weekend family trip to Seneca Creek State Park or the Ocean city beach.
To play around in the sand or climb up rocks, you have to be flexible and move your joints easily. However, an early warning sign of osteoarthritis is difficulty moving your joints and, as a result, limited range of motion and flexibility.
You will experience difficulties even bending forward at your waist. To recover from this, you will require immediate medical attention. Professionals in Maryland pain clinics offer treatments to increase mobility through weight loss programs, exercises, and interventional procedures.
Joint Deformity
Any changes or bone spurs in the joints can lead to the formation of noticeable physical deformities. For example, you may notice the arthritic joints in your finger may have enlarged, or your knees may seem to appear bowlegged.
If you observe one or more signs of this type of deformity, they may be due to osteoarthritis. Certified physicians in Maryland’s pain clinics will help you determine the severity and offer medications and interventional procedures to treat the underlying problem.
Timing of the Symptoms
The most common job groups in Maryland being registered nurses, surgeons, physicians, and emergency management directors. Most of the residents will experience a disrupted sleeping schedule.
Identifying when the symptom occurs is an indicator of the severity of osteoarthritis. When you sleep, your joints are in a resting position, unlike the daytime. The duration of the swelling and stiffness is a sign of how severe the issue is, and it will help the experts in the Maryland pain clinic choose the right treatment for you.
If you have been experiencing even one of these symptoms for a long time, you should immediately reach out to a professional pain clinic near you in Maryland to help you with the treatment and recovery.
