Does rheumatoid arthritis affect ones muscles?

Answer 1

Yes it can cause muscular atrophy as the joints near the muscles become harder and more painful to move there is less reliance placed on the muscles concerned. Also the inflammation and in certain place damage to bone can cause enterprises being put on nerves that are required to control muscles. Untreated this can also lead to muscular atrophy and nerve damage.

Answer 2

If the Arthritis has affected the joint in a more damaging way, it causes the joint to be misshaped or reduced in size. When this happens, it pulls on the tendons that surround the joint and can pull on the muscles as a consequence as well. When the joint goes through these changes and tendons get pulled, the tendons then swell up, that's why often times there swelling around a joint when arthritis has done damage to the cartilage. The cartilage is a cushion of soft, slippery soft tissue separating the opposing bones.

Answer 3

arthritis is usually the result of damage done to cartilage for one reason or another. At a certain point during the process the cartilage which is designed to cover the ends of the bone at the joints and with the aid of synovial fluid make for smooth friction free movement wears away causing the bones to rub together. Yhis leads to pain and tifness in the joint, the bone responds to the wear by trying to produce more bone to repair the joint making things even worse. In the case of rheumatoid arthritis the damage is started with inflammation to the cartilage and further exacerbated by toxic material being produced as a result leading to further damage to bones and surrounding tissue.

Answer 4

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is traditionally considered a chronic, inflammatory or autoimmune disorder. It causes the immune system to attack the cartilage that cover the bones in the joints. It is often a disabling and painful condition and can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction as well as deformity. RA is a systemic disease, that can also effect other tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and muscles. About 60% of RA patients are unable to work 10 years after the onset of their disease. Ra eventually destroys the cartilage that covers the bone, once bone is on bone there is pain. as well as that the bone wil build up around the points of contact in an effort to repair itself which leads to more pain and stiffness The chemicals produced in the destruction of the cartilage and the sinovial fluids that normally lubricate the join also become a destructive cocktail that ruins neighboring tissue such as muscle, bone and ligaments.

The pain involved with the symptoms of RA can lead to a weakening of muscles around the joints involved,Or inflammation can lead to pressure being exerted on nerves leading to their being damaged or muscles that are operated through those nerves atrophying. examples of this are carpel tunnel syndrome and ulnar nerve compression which effect the hands.

Answer 5

no, it is a joint disease, and strikes mostly on the hips, elbows, wrists and ankles, if it strikes on the hands it is most debilitating.