What is arthritis?

Do not think, for one moment, that you can diagnose your own aches and pains from this article! It is simply an introduction to the subject.

ARTH-RITIS simply means joint-inflammation but it is more complicated than that. There are more than 200 kinds, many are rare.

RHEUMATISM means those conditions characterised by pain and stiffness in muscles and the soft tissues, as opposed to the joint itself.
Collectively these conditions are called "Rheumatic diseases " and are dealt with (when necessary,) by a Rheumatology department.
To try and cover here, every one of the 200 types of arthritis would not be possible and many of them have their own specialist organisation providing all the latest information.

OSTEOARTHRITIS is the type we all have if we live to 70 years (and many will have earlier).
The good news is that it may be seen on X-rays, but many of us will not get any pain as a result of these boney changes.
The changes used to be referred to as "wear and tear", evident by the thinning of the cartilage that protects the end of the bones where this moves against the opposing bone to form a joint. It was suggested that years of bearing weight on leg joints wore them out, but that's not the full story .What we inherit and the mechanics of how we use joints (biomechanics) with other factors also come into the picture. It is not a simple wearing out , because there is boney growth around the edges of the joint. There are exciting developments in how cartilage works and how it can be treated. In the future we'll be able to work more on the preventive side. The beginnings are already here, with podiatrists and physiotherapists using insoles and exercises to improve the way strain is taken on joints.

How fortunate we are to be living when joint replacements are possible.

RHEUMATIOD ARTHRITIS is one of the most widely known conditions and is typified by the membrane within the joint becoming inflamed. This usually shows itself in swelling and warmth around the joint. It is a systemic condition caused by an inappropriately active immune system (autoimmune). It tends to affect more than one site and needs medication to control the inflammation and also often to modify the behaviour of the immune system.


Other better-known rheumatic conditions.

The symptoms of many of these conditions may overlap. For many people who are diagnosed with the same condition their experience of it and the way it affects them is totally individual.

Ankylosing Spondylitis

Psoriatic Arthritis

Gout

Reactive arthropathy

SLE Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Osteoporosis