The Most Common Types Of Arthritis
As most people are aware of, arthritis is a complex condition and comes in many shapes. Basically, arthritis means ‘inflammation of the joint’ and pain is almost always experienced.
Tendonitis is considered to be a mild form of the disease, while rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic form of arthritis. At its’ worst, the disease is dibilitating for a sufferer and it can even on occasion cause death.
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Most Common Types of Arthritis
Dr John Anne has researched arthritis extensively and gives a rundown of the most common types.
- Osteoarthritis – the most common type of arthritis. This degenerative joint disease affects over 16 million Americans. This form of arthritis is caused when the cartilage surrounding the ends of the bones begins to degenerate and the joints are no longer cushioned. This caused the joints to rub together and in severe cases, you can hear the bones grating against one another. At the onset of osteoarthritis, the symptoms are usually mild and consist of pain and stiffness of the joints. As the disease progresses, inflammation and loss of motion can occur. In some severe cases, deformity can occur if the grinding joints wear one side of the joint more than the other.
- Rheumatoid arthritis – This is the second most common type of arthritis and the most severe. Symptoms usually begin appearing between the ages of 25 and 50 – however, children and senior citizens can experience the onset of this disease. Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common type of inflammatory arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis is considered an autoimmune disease because factors other than wear and tear of cartilage can cause the disease and the disease can affect other organs, such as the eyes, lungs, and heart.
Rheumatoid arthritis usually affects the joints on both sides of the body – for instance, both hands will be affected, both wrists will be affected, and both legs will be affected. The most common symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are pain, stiffness, swelling, redness of the skin, fatigue, weight loss, and low-grade fever. Not only affecting the joints, rheumatoid arthritis can give you an overall feeling of sickness. Rheumatoid arthritis can be a debilitating disease, however patients can experience periods of remission in which the symptoms disappear and they can lead a normal life.
- Fibromyalgia – This is a type of arthritis that does not directly affect the joints. Rather, the inflammation and pain affect the muscles, ligaments, tendons, and soft tissues under the skin. Many patients have tender spots under the skin that are painful when any type of pressure is applied. The symptoms for Fibromyalgia include deep muscle pain, fatigue, sleeplessness, and depression. Symptoms may come and go, but the disease is long term and chronic.
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Other Types of Arthritis
- Anklyosing Spondylitis – a chronic, inflammatory disease that affects the spine. The common symptoms include lower back pain and stiffness that lasts for more than a period of three months, difficulty sleeping, fatigue, weight loss, and low-grade fever.
- Gout – this disease usually affects the joints of the big toe, but can extend to the ankles, heels, knees, wrists, fingers, and elbow. The common symptoms are tenderness, pain, redness, warmth, and swelling of the affected joint.
- Infectious Arthritis – this type of arthritis is caused by an infection, and can be caused by both bacterial and viral infections. The onset of infectious arthritis is sudden and the symptoms include swelling of the joint, soreness, warmth, leakage of tissue fluid, fever, and chills.
- Cervical arthritis – this type of arthritis affects the upper back and can cause pain in the neck and arms. Cervical arthritis is caused when the cartilage protecting the discs that support the neck deteriorate. The most common symptom of cervical arthritis is chronic neck pain, but can include loss of balance, headaches, muscle weakness, and stiffness.
- Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis – this inflammatory arthritis affects children. The most common symptoms of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis are swelling, pain, and stiffness in joints. The symptoms are usually worse in children upon waking in the morning and after a nap. There is no known reason for the onset of arthritis in children and, unlike rheumatoid arthritis in adults, children sometimes outgrow the disease and the symptoms disappear.
These are just some of the many types of arthritis. In general terms, arthritis is any disease that involves inflammation – swelling and pain of the joints or muscles. If you suspect that you suffer from arthritis, you should consult your physician to determine the type of arthritis and learn what treatments are available.
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Dr John Anne is an herbal specialist with years of experience and extensive research on herbs and alternative health. If you are looking for more information, read about Types of Arthritis and Arthritis Types and Symptoms. AyurvedicCure.com is the World’s Largest Alternative Health Portal. Participate in Health Questions Q&A http://www.answers.ayurvediccure.com, where you can Ask, Answer and Earn Money! A great opportunity to get help from other people for free!
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More Reading On Arthritis
Traditional arthritis treatments involve the use of anti inflammatory drugs like Celebrex, for example. But it is known that there can be significant risk of side effects from these types of drugs – kidney failure for example.
Treatment and Home remedies for arthritis
Medication: Some doctors recommend medication for arthritis pain relief. Before you choose your program management and medication, you should discuss the side effects and interactions with other medications with your doctor.
Video: Cost Of Arthritis Medications
Understanding Degenerative Arthritis
There are over 100 different types of arthritis. One of the most common and dangerous is degenerative arthritis. This is also known as osteoarthritis. Degenerative arthritis is a progressive form of arthritis whose cause is still yet to be determined. It effects several joints and often occurs in old-aged people over the age of 55.
Juvenile Arthritis Can Be a Big Problem
As children, we should be able to have fun and enjoy those peaceful times of our life. We should be free to enjoy everything that happens around us from learning about butterflies to doing our first solo bike ride to watching our fathers fix things in the garage. At that time in our lives, we don’t think of the future and are allowed to believe that everything will go on as it is today. However, having Juvenile Arthritis can change all that in a heartbeat.
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