What Is Arthritis?

What is arthritis is a question that can affect everyone who has, or knows someone who has, developed the condition. Arthritis is actually not a single disease but it is the term used to refer to a collection of more than one hundred diseases. All types of arthritis cause some kind of pain, discomfort or abnormality around the joints, which are the parts of the body which connect the bones together and allow them to move fluidly. So what is arthritis? The term comes from Greek and it literally translates as "inflammation of the joint". Arthritis affects millions of people around the world every year and can be treated in a variety of ways, depending on which type of arthritis the sufferer has and how severe the condition is. It is not true that arthritis only affects elderly people, but in fact it can affect people of all ages including children, although it is more common in people at an advanced age.

The most common type of arthritis that people suffer from is osteoarthritis, which is commonly referred to as OA. Osteoarthritis is more prevalent in elderly people and it is a degenerative joint disease which results from the general wear and tear of the joints over time. It most commonly occurs in parts of the body where large amounts of stress or weight is placed on the joints, which includes areas like the knees, spine, hips and hands. The main symptoms of osteoarthritis are pain, swelling, tenderness and decreased function of the affected areas, which can lead to serious problems including immobility. Other causes of osteoarthritis include repetitive joint use, obesity and joint trauma. There is no actual cure for osteoarthritis but there are ways to minimise its damaging effects. These can include avoiding activities which place significant strain on the affected joints, losing weight, pain control and careful exercise as recommended by a physiotherapist or doctor.

The second most common type of arthritis among people is rheumatoid arthritis, which is caused by a swelling of the joints. It is vitally important with rheumatoid arthritis that it is diagnosed and treated as early as possible because it can lead to physical deformity if left untreated. Rheumatoid arthritis is found in significantly higher levels among women than it is among men, and usually occurs during the ages of 40-60. The major symptom of rheumatoid arthritis include swelling and pain among the same joints of both side of the body, and other symptoms include constant tiredness, sore joints in the morning and red inflammation of the affected joints. Again the treatments for rheumatoid arthritis are similar to osteoarthritis and involve reducing the stress factor on the affected joint areas, as well as careful physiotherapy and sometimes surgery.

Other common types of arthritis include infectious arthritis which occurs from an infection of the joints. The likely symptoms include fever, sharp pain or tenderness and inflammation of the affected joints. Another common type of what is arthritis is juvenile rheumatoid arthritis which affects only children.

• What Is Arthritis?
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