Doctor Recommends Exercise To Curb Rheumatism

Dr. Mijinyawa Bashir, a Physician with the Wuse General Hospital on Friday in Abuja said that frequent exercise could prevent rheumatism and also promote physical and mental wellbeing.

Bashir, who made the revelation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said that rheumatism was an inflammation or disorder, involving joints and connective tissues, causing pain and swelling, commonly found in middle-aged and old people. 

He noted that frequent exercise would ensure flexibility of muscles, joints and also increase the fitness of the person engaged in it.  

“Rheumatism is a chronic auto immune disease with inflammation of joints and marked deformities (virus) which can trigger an attack on the synovial by the immune system. It releases cytokines that stimulate an inflammatory reaction that can lead to the destruction of all components of the joint,” he explained.

The physician noted that rheumatism could be as a result of body malfunction that could make the body joints vulnerable to disease.

According to him, the body immune system is supposed to protect the body against infections, but often fights itself which usually involves joints and muscles resulting in severe pains in the body.

He said that rheumatism could lead to wearing and tearing of joints and in some cases, lead to permanent damage of the bone.

Bashir explained that the disease could be hereditary, saying that families had tendencies of abnormalities in the immune’s mechanism. 

He listed old age as one of the leading causes of rheumatism, stating that people who were aged could suffer what is known as cartilage, a direct painful bone-to-bone contact.

The physician said that high deposition of urine acid in the body could cause infections in the joints, muscles and organs, resulting to pains between the large and small parts of the joints.

He said that food products like meat, white bread, sugar and refined cereals could leave behind a lot of toxic waste in the blood, which moves around the body and could give rise to rheumatism.

Bashir listed the symptoms of rheumatism as increased loss of joints functions, fever, skin colour redness, fever and rashes.

He, however, cautioned against excessive consumption of acid-forming foods and intake of de-mineralised starch and red meat to prevent the disease.

Commenting on treatment of rheumatism, he said that early diagnosis of its symptoms could help to stop permanent damage, adding that it could be treated through physical therapy, pain killer, antibiotics and surgery for severe cases.

Bashir urged people to go for proper medical checkups as soon as they experienced organ and joint pains so that preventives measure could be instituted.