Treating of Joint Pain-Arthritis through YOGA

Arthritis is the swelling and tenderness of one or more of your joints. The main symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness, which typically worsen with age. Although there's no cure for arthritis, treatments have improved greatly in recent years and, for many types of arthritis, particularly inflammatory arthritis, there's a clear benefit in starting treatment at an early stage. Cartilage is a firm but flexible connective tissue in your joints. It protects the joints by absorbing the pressure and shock created when you move and put stress on them. A reduction in the normal amount of this cartilage tissue cause some forms of arthritis. Yoga is giving new lease of life to many, so to tackle chronic diseases it is providing remedies which will be effective for your entire life. It is delivered to many people by PATANJALI. Yoga can give support to patients having arthritis through its numerous relevant postures (asana’s) which can be done very simply. Yoga does not send a message that if you do it regularly you will be relieved from a particular ailment. If it is performed each day it will add vital energy for smooth life even if you are suffering from any long term ailment. In this article we will be providing 5 postures (asana’s) which can be performed at any time in the day but early morning will always be preferred (empty stomach) to get good result. Mini-Review Article Telang et al.; JPRI, 33(37B): 283-288, 2021; Article no.JPRI.71184 284 Secondly this postures must be implemented after due consultation with your physician. If your physician disapproves don’t do these postures as it will be harmful for your body.


INTRODUCTION
Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints. It can affect one joint or multiple joints. There are more than 100 different types of arthritis, with different causes and treatment methods. Two of the most common types are osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) [1]. The symptoms of arthritis usually develop over time, but they may also appear suddenly. Arthritis is most commonly seen in adults over the age of 65, but it can also develop in children, teens, and younger adults. Arthritis is more common in women than men and in people who are overweight.

SYMPTOMS
Joint pain, stiffness, and swelling are the most common symptoms of arthritis. Your range of motion may also decrease, and you may experience redness of the skin around the joint. Many people with arthritis notice their symptoms are worse in the morning [1,2]. In the case of RA, you may feel tired or experience a loss of appetite due to the inflammation the immune system's activity causes. You may also become anemic -meaning your red blood cell count decreases -or have a slight fever. Severe RA can cause joint deformity if left untreated.

CAUSES
Cartilage is a firm but flexible connective tissue in your joints. It protects the joints by absorbing the pressure and shock created when you move and put stress on them. A reduction in the normal amount of this cartilage tissue cause some forms of arthritis [1,2]. Normal wear and tear causes OA, one of the most common forms of arthritis. An infection or injury to the joints can exacerbate this natural breakdown of cartilage tissue. Your risk of developing OA may be higher if you have a family history of the disease. Another common form of arthritis, RA, is an autoimmune disorder. It occurs when your body's immune system attacks the tissues of the body. These attacks affect the synovium, a soft tissue in your joints that produces a fluid that nourishes the cartilage and lubricates the joints.
RA is a disease of the synovium that will invade and destroy a joint. It can eventually lead to the destruction of both bone and cartilage inside the joint.

DIAGNOSIS
Seeing your primary care physician is a good first step if you're unsure who to see for an arthritis diagnosis. They will perform a physical exam to check for fluid around the joints, warm or red joints, and limited range of motion in the joints. Your doctor can refer you to a specialist if needed [1,2]. If you're experiencing severe symptoms, you may choose to schedule an appointment with a rheumatologist first. This may lead to a faster diagnosis and treatment. Extracting and analyzing inflammation levels in your blood and joint fluids can help your doctor determine what kind of arthritis you have. Blood tests that check for specific types of antibodies like anti-CCP (anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide), RF (rheumatoid factor), and ANA (antinuclear antibody) are also common diagnostic tests. Doctors commonly use imaging scans such as X-ray, MRI, and CT scans to produce an image of your bones and cartilage. This is so they can rule out other causes of your symptoms, such as bone spurs.

Fig. 1. Balasana -Child Pose [3]
a. Sit on your heels on a yoga mat or on the floor. b. Either keep your knees together or apart. c. Slowly, bend forward by lowering your forehead to touch the floor, exhaling as you do so.
d. Keep your arms alongside your body.

Fig. 2. Bitilasana -Cow Pose [3]
a. Start on your hands and knees in a "tabletop" position. b. As you inhale, lift your sitting bones and chest toward the ceiling, allowing your belly to sink toward the floor. c. Exhale, coming back to neutral "tabletop" position on your hands and knees.

Fig. 5. Anjaneyasana -Crescent Lunge [3]
i. On an exhale step your left leg about 4 to 5 feet in back of you and come onto the back toes with the toes pointed straight forward. Try to get the heel hovering directly on top of those back toes. j. You don't want to have your feet on a tightrope. For more stability you can walk the right foot out to the right a few inches. Keep the hips turned towards the front of your mat like two headlights pointing forward. k. On an exhale, bend the right knee to 90 degrees so that the knee is directly over the ankle and the shin is perpendicular to the earth. That knee should be in line with the second and third toe. Distribute the weight evenly through that front foot as you lift the inner arch and root down through the corners of the feet. l. Engage the quad of the back leg. The back leg should be straight without locking out the knee.
Modification: You may micro bend the back leg to create a bit more stability in the pose. You may also find the helps to square your hips towards the front of the room [4].
m. On an inhale, lift the arms up above head. Broaden the collarbones. Rotate the triceps or pinkie side of the hands in towards one another as you draw the shoulders away from the ears. Your fingers are actively reaching up towards the sky. Arms are either parallel to one another or palms are pressing together. n. Lengthen the tailbone down towards the earth as you draw the navel gently in and up towards the spine. Tuck the lower ribs in. o. Gaze forward and slightly upward. Make sure not to crunch the neck. You are rooting down to earth as you lengthen up towards the sky. p. To get out of the posture, straighten the front leg, lower the arms and come back to mountain pose. Repeat on the left side [5].
a. Add variety to your workout -Yoga provides an exercise option. It may not be the only thing you do, but it can be a component of an overall healthy regimen that may also include cardiovascular exercises like walking or biking. b. Improve physical function -People with arthritis who practice regularly will eventually see improved physical function. c. Improve flexibility -Yoga can also benefit people with stiff joints due to arthritis. Stretching exercises in general help improve range of motion, so the fact that you're stretching in yoga will help flexibility.

CONCLUSION
The research on arthritis concludes that YOGA plays a vital role in maintaining your health. It also gives an impetus to your body to keep moving. Any ailment basically sends a negative signal and to counter it YOGA plays a major role.
The study gave an opportunity to understand the reasons for Arthritis and subsequently how YOGA can provide benefits. Everybody should take out time from there regimen to focus on YOGA as it will give an added energy to your vital organs and keep you healthy and fit. Secondly the postures recommended by the researcher is very simple and can be done by any age group person. The various YOGA poses will help you in leading a happy and stress free life. Keep doing it and stay healthy.

ETHICAL APPROVAL
Ethical clearance taken from institutional ethics committee.

DISCLAIMER
The products used for this research are commonly and predominantly use products in our area of research and country. There is absolutely no conflict of interest between the authors and producers of the products because we do not intend to use these products as an avenue for any litigation but for the advancement of knowledge. Also, the research was not funded by the producing company rather it was funded by personal efforts of the authors.