Paddy McGuinness prances around the TV studio like he owns it. Confident in his own skin, who’d have thought he had a bone-crushing illness?
Back in 2018, Paddy took to Instagram to post a picture of him with a mini square bandage on it.
“Morning,” he wrote. “Nursing a poorly shoulder today. I had an ultra sound steroid injection in it yesterday. The reason, arthritis! I’m 44!”
Highlighting that arthritis isn’t a disease reserved for the elderly, charity Arthritis Research UK were thrilled.
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“We’re grateful to Paddy McGuinness for speaking out and showing other young people with arthritis that they are not alone,” said the charity.
“People often think of arthritis as an older person’s disease.
“But Paddy is actually one of 11.8 million people under the age of 65 living with a musculoskeletal condition, including 2.7 million under 35 years old.”
With such startling statistics, what causes arthritis?
Charity Versus arthritis said: “The word arthritis is used to describe pain, swelling and stiffness in a joint or joints.”
“There are several factors that can increase the risk of each type of arthritis,” continued the charity.
The most common form of arthritis is osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis
This type of arthritis begins with the roughening of cartilage.
To try to repair itself, the body can do one of three of the following things:
- Tiny bits of extra bone, called osteophytes, can grow at the ends of a bone within a joint
- There can be an increase in the amount of thick fluid inside the joint
- The joint capsule can stretch, and the joint may lose its shape
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Osteoarthritis can lead to damage inside the joint, as well as pain and stiffness.
The most commonly affected body parts are the knees, hand, hips and back.
Taking painkiller can help to reduce painful symptoms and allow you to remain active.
There are also non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) creams that you can rub onto the affected area.
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Gout
Gout is another type of inflammatory arthritis that can cause painful swelling in joints.
Typically affecting the big toe, joints affected can become red and hot – the skin may also look shiny and can peel.
An excess of uric acid is responsible for gout. Too much of uric acid can also lead to crystal formations in and around the joint.
When crystals fall into the soft part of the joint, pain and swelling results.
Rheumatoid arthritis
This type of arthritis is known as an auto-immune condition, because the body mistakenly attacks healthy tissues in the body, such as joints, causing inflammation.
Versus Arthritis note that rheumatoid arthritis can cause the following issues:
- It can make moving the joint difficult and painful
- Chemicals in the fluid can damage the bone and joint
- The extra fluid can stretch the joint capsule. Whenever a joint capsule is stretched, it never quite returns to its original position
- Chemicals in the fluid can irritate nerve endings, which can be painful
For more information on arthritis, visit Versus Arthritis.
If you’re suffering from persistent painful joints, discuss your symptoms with a doctor.
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