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HEALTH FAMILY PROBLEMS RELATIONSHIPS EDUCATION & CAREER Dear What’s the Problem, I am a 53 year old man. I worked as an office clerk for 20 years but was made redundant in 1990. So I decided to become a farm hand and started to till the land. Because of the physical nature of this work I developed back ache and painful shoulders. And now whenever I do any type of manual work my entire body begins to ache, especially near my ribs. I’ve been told by my doctor that I have arthritis. I really can’t afford any medical treatment as I have eleven children and most of my money goes on feeding and clothing them. How can I ease my pain in a cheap way? Norbert L. Cattalichi, email Advice : Dr. Mark Hamilton, *The arthritis that you see most often is due to wear and tear on the joints. Over the years your joints basically take all the stresses and the strains of working, and walking, running, anything along those lines. Things just wear away and then when the joints are not as smooth as they used to be you get pain in the joints, and they become inflamed. It’s a very progressive, deteriorating problem. *The first thing I would do is advise Norbert to consult his doctor to confirm that the diagnosis it correct. If it is arthritis then there are a few things he can try which are not too expensive. *Simple pain killers such as paracetamol, or ibuprofen can be effective in a wide variety of cases. You don’t have to always get a prescription for them. *If that’s not enough then unfortunately he may have to resort to more expensive medical treatment. And I know he said he wants a cheap way but look at the priorities… If this man does not get help for his problem then he won’t be able to have a job, and therefore he won’t be able to feed and look after his children. So, it is therefore, a priority that he does get this problem looked into, hopefully assessed properly and then treated properly. *Arthritis can respond to a number of different treatments such as steroids or much heavier pain killers, but it’s important to make sure, again, that he’s assessed properly for this. *Ultimately though arthritis, if it is the case, is not curable and it does gradually deteriorate. So I would suggest that he actually is looking for other jobs as he’s trying to treat this. He should be looking for jobs which are not going to involve heavy manual work. The What's the Problem? website is providing general information only. It should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. The BBC is not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made by a user based on the content of the What's the Problem? website. Always consult your own GP if you're in any way concerned about your health.		FURTHER INFORMATION   *Is arthritis hereditary? Some forms of arthritis are inherited, but most are not. Evidence exists that arthritis of the spine (ankylosing spondylitis), is hereditary but other common forms such as osteoarthritis and rhuematoid arthritis are generally not. * Is it possible that my children will contract arthritis? There is little danger that your children will develop arthritis. Gout is inherited but usually skips a generation, so the grandson may be affected but not the son * Are physically active people more prone to arthritis? There is no evidence that someone who is generally physically active is any more prone to develop arthritis than someone who does not take much exercise.    INTERNET LINKS Arthritis org.   Arthritis assessment   Arthritis: BBC Health   The BBC is not responsible for the content of external Internet sites