Joint pain can affect anyone at any age. It can make even simple daily tasks feel challenging. From walking up stairs to typing at a desk, stiff joints affect your mobility and overall quality of life. For millions of Americans, arthritis is the underlying cause, slowly limiting movement and adding discomfort over time.
At Kairos care, our functional medicine clinics in Houston, Sugar Land, and Rosenberg focus on your overall joint health by finding the underlying causes of inflammation and discomfort.
In this article, you’ll discover the different types of arthritis, what joint pain feels like, effective treatments, and how to stay active and live your best.
What is Arthritis?
Arthritis is a condition that inflames the joints, making them sore and sometimes making everyday tasks harder to do. People of any age can experience it, and it may appear gradually or come on unexpectedly, depending on the type.
Arthritis has more than 100 different types, but the most common ones include:
1: Osteoarthritis (OA):
This type occurs when the cartilage that cushions the joints gradually wears down, often due to aging or repetitive movements. It causes stiffness and reduced mobility over time.
2: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA):
It is an autoimmune condition in which the body’s immune system attacks the joint lining. This leads to swelling and potential long-term joint damage. RA can start suddenly and affect multiple joints symmetrically. It can also show symptoms like fatigue, low-grade fever, pain, or mild weight loss.
What Does Arthritis Feel Like?
Arthritis is more than just occasional stiffness. It can show up as a constant ache or a throbbing pain in your joints
If you have arthritis in your hands, you may have trouble gripping items, struggle to twist jar lids, or have difficulty typing. The stiffness feels more intense, especially in the morning or after sitting for a while
Ask yourself:
- Do your fingers or hands feel tight or stiff when you wake up?
- Are everyday tasks, like turning doorknobs or opening jars, more difficult than before?
- Do your joints ever feel swollen or unusually warm?
If you answered yes to any of these, it could signal the early stages of arthritis. Checking in with a healthcare provider can help you manage symptoms before they worsen.
Symptoms of Arthritis
Arthritis affects more than 58 million adults in the U.S. It is mostly the leading cause of joint pain and reduced mobility. The following are the signs you should look for:
- You feel persistent pain or tenderness in the joints
- Swelling or redness around affected joints, showing inflammation
- You feel Stiffness, especially in the morning or after sitting for a while.
- Reduced range of motion, making it harder to move joints fully.
- Fatigue or low energy is more common in Rheumatoid Arthritis
These signs are signals that help you understand what your body is telling you and make informed choices about your joint health.
Causes and Risk Factors
Sometimes your joints start hurting without warning, and the reasons can be very surprising. Arthritis usually develops when your daily habits and your past injuries put stress on your joints, leading to pain or swelling.
- Age: As we grow older, our joints naturally wear down. This makes osteoarthritis more likely over time
- Genetics: If your family has a history of arthritis, you might be more prone to it. Genes can influence how your joints will age or react.
- Immune system issues: Sometimes your body mistakenly attacks its own joints. This is exactly what happens in rheumatoid arthritis.
- Joint injuries: Old injuries or joints used a lot over time can become weak. These can lead to arthritis over time..
- Lifestyle choices: If you are carrying extra weight or staying inactive, this can strain your joints. Also, a poor diet can make your inflammation even worse.
Ongoing inflammation can make joint pain worse. Research confirmed that inflammation not only worsens joint pain but can also break down cartilage and decrease mobility.
Is Arthritis Curable?
There is currently no cure for arthritis, but you can manage this condition effectively. You need to go for treatments that focus on reducing pain and slowing disease progression.
For rheumatoid arthritis, starting treatment early often makes a big difference. Medications can control inflammation and prevent long-term joint damage.
Osteoarthritis is managed by staying active and sometimes using physical therapy or, in some cases, surgery.
How We Treat Joint Pain at Kairos Integrative Care
At Kairos, we focus on effective treatments that help you move more comfortably and stay active every day:
- Medications: Anti-inflammatories, corticosteroids, or DMARDs for rheumatoid arthritis to reduce pain and protect your joints.
- Physical therapy: Our programs strengthen muscles around your joints and improve flexibility and movement.
- Lifestyle guidance: We help you maintain a healthy weight, avoid repetitive joint stress, and incorporate gentle, low-impact exercise.
- Alternative therapies: We will go for some therapies, like massage, acupuncture, or topical treatments can also provide extra relief.
- Surgery: In severe cases, joint replacement may be recommended to restore your overall joint function and reduce pain.
With the right combination of care and support, we help you regain control over your joints and get back to the activities you enjoy.
Tips to Manage Arthritis
Living with arthritis can be challenging, but small daily changes help you manage it efficiently:
- Move gently and often. Activities like walking, swimming, or yoga keep your joints flexible.
- Listen to your body. Take breaks, avoid overusing painful joints during daily tasks.
- Support your joints at work and home. Use tools that reduce strain and prevent unnecessary pressure.
- Regular checkups are important to review medications, monitor joint health, and run lab work, especially if you have autoimmune arthritis like RA.
- Focus on foods that fight inflammation. Include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean proteins, and omega-3-rich foods like salmon, flax, or walnuts in your diet.
- Keep your weight in check. Extra pounds put added stress on your joints and can worsen pain over time.
- Check your vitamin D and bone health. Low vitamin D and poor bone density are linked with arthritis. Ask your provider about vitamin D, calcium, and bone testing.
- Address your gut health. Digestive issues and imbalances in gut bacteria can increase inflammation and worsen arthritis, especially autoimmune forms.
- Manage your stress and sleep well. Relaxation techniques and enough rest help control inflammation and improve energy.
- Try gentle supportive therapies. Massage, heat or cold packs, and stretching can relieve stiffness and make movement easier.
- Stay active with strength-building exercises. Simple resistance or light weights help support muscles around your joints.
Supplements to Consider (with your provider’s guidance)
- Omega-3 fatty acids (fish or algae oil): may reduce stiffness and pain
- Curcumin (turmeric): natural anti-inflammatory
- Boswellia (frankincense extract): supports mobility, especially in osteoarthritis
- Glucosamine + Chondroitin: mixed evidence, but some people benefit
- Vitamin D3 + K2: supports bone and joint health if deficient
- Collagen peptides: may help cartilage health
- Magnesium: supports muscle relaxation and balances inflammation
At Kairos Integrative Care, we combine personalized treatments with these daily strategies so you can feel stronger and stay engaged in the activities you love.
Conclusion
Arthritis can be managed effectively with the right treatment plan. By understanding your joints and taking mindful steps each day, you can stay active and move with less pain.
At Kairos, Lola, our board-certified practitioner, combines medical therapies, physical support, and personalized guidance to reduce your pain and protect your joints.
We see patients in Houston, Sugar Land, Richmond, and nearby areas (77046 & 77478). Most major insurance plans are accepted, including Blue Cross, Aetna, Ambetter, Cigna, and more.
New patients are always welcome, and if visiting the clinic isn’t possible, telemedicine appointments are available across the entire state of Texas.
Book your appointment today!
