The term arthritis.

Understanding Arthritis
Arthritis pain is inflammation of any joint that causes pain. Any joint can cause this pain, including the knee, wrist of knuckle. Cartilage usually covers joints where two bones come together. Then, a sheathing called synovium, surrounds the joint. The fluid that is produced, synovial fluid, helps ease any friction of the two bones. If you are suffering from arthritis pain, it would indicate that the affected joint is inflamed. This inflammation can lead to a dull throbbing, swelling of the joint, redness in the area, a warm feeling, a stiff joint, or a more serious pain. Any of these symptoms can make it hard to flex that joint.

The term arthritis actually encompasses over a hundred different varieties of joint inflammation diseases. Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout and the most commonly known types. In fact arthritis as a whole impacts approximately eighty million Americans. Over half of those affected are aged 65 or more. Arthritis usually lasts for several years, thus it is usually chronic. While there is no known cure for arthritis, one can ease the symptoms it causes through products and treatments.

The Big 3 of ArthritisAs mentioned above, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gout are the three types that afflict the most people.

Of these three, osteoarthritis is the most prevalent form. Osteoarthritis can occur when cartilage between joints wears away. Cartilage exists in bone joint between both bones to cushion the bones. Time, over use, and the disease itself, can wear away this cartilage. If no cartilage exists between two bones, the bones will directly rub one another whenever the joint is flexed. The friction this creates will often cause mild to severe pain and a swelling of the joint. Osteoarthritis can appear in any joint in the body, but is more common in joints that bear more weight. This would include the knees, hips, lower back, neck and feet.

The second of the big three is rheumatoid arthritis. This disease is inflammatory and is not limited to body joints. It can actually inflame tissues of the skin, eyes, blood vessels, and lungs. Rheumatoid arthritis is considered an auto-immune disease. A person who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis can experience an attack from their immune system on their own body. This will lead to more pain, swelling of the joints, stiffness in the joints, and can even make joints inoperable. Due to the attack of the immune system, many sufferers also are sluggish and have frequent fevers. The symptoms usually crop up symmetrically. So if a person experiences symptoms in the right hip they will most likely experience them in the left hip also.

The final type of arthritis is gout. Gout is considered the most painful of the three and can occur swiftly. Someone who suffers from gout will have an intense and sudden pain, swelling in joints, stiffness of the body, and may experience redness and fever. The cause of gout is actually uric acid, which our body has by nature. Sufferers of gout have a build up of uric acid in their connective tissues. This build up crystallizes into needle like points and will inflame the affected joint. Doctors have pointed to stress inducing events as the trigger for an outbreak of gout, including other illnesses and drug and alcohol use. Gout usually attacks the lower body joints such as ankles and knees.