Guest guest Posted March 25, 1999 Report Share Posted March 25, 1999 In article <922383987.26655onelist>, PBias@... writes >From: PBias@... > >Dave, I still don't understand what you are getting at with the research. My >joints are fine. My tendons are messed up. I can't see your problem in understanding what I'm saying. What I am getting at is that in all the standard texts on PA it mentions the 5 types depending upon which/how many joints are affected. They only metion enthesitis and tendonitis as *additional* features which some sufferers of types 1-5 may show. What I am getting at, and as is mentioned by the medics who have published these papers is that there apears to be 3.5% of people with " PA " who only have enthesitis/tendonitis and there also seems to be people with onycho- pachydermo-periostitis which has not been previously mentioned as a subset of PA. My symptoms are only of these two conditions and I am not saying it is *not* PA, what I am , and these researchers are saying is that these two conditions should be added to the 5 subsets of PA that are already agreed upon. When I first got these symptoms I wondered if it was PA as everyone else both on the arthritis newsgroup and this list seem to have badly affected *joints*. Is it any clearer now what I'm getting at? If you want to know more about any other scientific papers that have been published worldwide on medicine do a search on PubMed the URL of which is www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/htbin-post/Entrez/ -- Dave Bentley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 3, 2002 Report Share Posted May 3, 2002 >>I'm curious how you do tell what is synovitis and flaring vs what is tendinitis ? I've learned to tell the difference ( I think ; ) over the years by comparing what the doc diagnoses with various symptoms. Mostly by location and appearance of swelling, and also by how it feels inside when I move the joint. Areas of synovitis are, naturally, right around a synovial joint, and it feels like the joint is coated with a dense foam when you " squish " the joint between your fingers. There may also be redness. When a joint is swelling badly, the swelling sometimes will overflow into the surrounding area, but most of the time for me is confined to 1/4 " to 1/2 " immediately around the joint. A joint will also look more " knobby " when it is synovitis, an exaggeration of the normal shape, while when it is tendinitis in surrounding tendons the area tends to be more boggy and generally puffy. The pain with synovitis is more " hot " and " raw " or " infected/sick " feeling (sorry for the very technical terms LOL but this detective work is very subjective) , and more continuous, than the pain of tendinitis which tends to feel more sharp and mechanical, more with movement than when at rest. The tendinitis looks more like an area of generalized swelling, usually around the location where the tendon passes near a joint and/or through a tendon sheath. I notice it right now at the achilles tendon area, the top of the wrists, and in one spot where the tendons are being aggravated by passing over and being pushed aside by an inflamed finger joint. The tendons feel like they are being rasped when I move the joint, and there are pops, clicks, and painful pulling, tearing or twanging sensations on the tendon with various movements. If it gets really bad in an area, it will " trigger " as it passes through a tendon sheath, getting stuck for a second before moving through the range of motion. Hope this helps. Liz G. --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.351 / Virus Database: 197 - Release Date: 04/19/2002 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 4, 2002 Report Share Posted May 4, 2002 Liz, for tendinitis and muscle pain I use my Far Infrared Lamp. For me it has been most helpful. Here is some information on the benefits of infrared heat: THERAPEUTIC EFFECTS OF INFRARED HEAT: The following information has been summarized from Chapter 9 of Therapeutic Heat and Cold, Fourth Edition, Editors Justus F. Lehmann, M.D., , and Wilkin. Generally it is accepted that heat produces the following desirable therapeutic effects: 1. Infrared heat increases the extensibility of collagen tissues. Tissues heated to 45 degrees Celsius and then stretched exhibit a nonelastic residual elongation of about 0.5 to 0.9 percent that persists after the stretch is removed. This does not occur in these same tissues when stretched at normal tissue temperatures. 2. Infrared heat decreases joint stiffness. There was a 20 percent decrease in rheumatoid finger joint stiffness at 45 degrees Celsius (112 degrees Fahrenheit) as compared with 33 degrees Celsius (92 degrees Fahrenheit), which correlated perfectly to both subjective and objective observation of stiffness. Speculation has it that any stiffened joint and thickened connective tissues may respond in a similar fashion. 3. Infrared heat relieves muscle spasms. Muscle spasms have long been observed to be reduced through the use of heat, be they secondary to underlying skeletal, joint, or neuropathological conditions. This result is possibly produced by the combined effect of heat on both primary and secondary afferent nerves from spindle cells and from its effects on Golgi tendon organs. The results produced demonstrated their peak effect within the therapeutic temperature range obtainable with radiant heat. 4. Infrared heat treatment leads to pain relief. Pain may be relieved via the reduction of attendant or secondary spasms. Pain is also at times related to ischemia (lack of blood supply) due to tension or spasm that can be improved by the hyperemia that heat-induced vasodilatation produces, thus breaking the feedback loop in which the ischemia leads to further spasm and then more pain. Heat has been shown to reduce pain sensation by direct action on both free-nerve endings in tissues and on peripheral nerves. In one dental study, repeated heat applications led finally to abolishment of the whole nerve response responsible for pain arising from dental pulp. Heat may lead to both increased endorphin production and a shutting down of the so called " spinal gate " of Melzack and Wall, each of which can reduce pain. Localized infrared therapy using lamps tuned to the 2 to 25 micron waveband is used for the treatment and relief of pain by over 40 reputable Chinese medical institutes. 5. Infrared heat increases blood flow. Heating one area of the body produces reflex-modulated vasodilators in distant-body areas, even in the absence of a change in core body temperature. 6. Infrared heat assists in resolution of inflammatory infiltrates, edema, and exudates. Increased peripheral circulation provides the transport needed to help evacuate edema, which can help inflammation, decrease pain, and help speed healing. --------------------------------- The heat lamp I use is the TDP Infrared Lamp. It comes in a table top model or floor model. It can be purhased at Helio Medical 1-800-672-2726 or 1-408-433-3355 606 Charcot Ave.,San ,Ca 95131 (no web site) --------------------------------- Also some sub-suppliers can be found on the net, but can be more expensive. Price comparison is advisable. FYH is an example: http://www.fyh.com/products/tdp.htm --------------------------------- NOTE: Check with your MD before adding heat therapy. -------------------------------- REGARDS, ray Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 4, 2002 Report Share Posted May 4, 2002 Liz, Found your thoughts on tendinitis and synovitis interesting. Wouldn't you think though that synovitis might be the instigator behind the tendinitis symptoms? I mean, isn't it a bit unusual to just start getting tendinitis everywhere? I have problems with my iliotibial bands sometimes as well as my wrists and I suppose you could say those are tendon irritations but I've always figured they were brought on by flaring and increased inflammaton of the synovial lining. When I can't lift my arm above shoulder height because of a flare, it could be due to tendons, but I figure maybe all the increased gelling activity from the synovitis is providing less room for tendons to glide,etc, thus causing the problem. I will take your note to my doc and discuss with him because it does bring up some interesting issues. Thank you for sharing! ______________ Mark My Home Page Fox Hill Inn My Digital Photos ---Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).Version: 6.0.351 / Virus Database: 197 - Release Date: 04/19/2002 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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