Arthritis

The National Institutes of Health and Mayo Clinic define arthritis as inflammation of the joints. The body has bones that meet in joints, which are lined with tissue to make movement of the joints more fluid. It is this tissue that becomes inflamed, causing pain in the joints. There are two types of arthritis - osteoarthritis, which usually affects fingers, hips and knees. This often happens with age. The other type is rheumatoid arthritis, in which the body's immune system is affected and which is generally found in the hands and feet. Other forms of arthritis are caused by crystals attached to the joints, such as gout, or complete immune failure which harms the body's systems, as seen in lupus. Unfortunately, it is thought by much of the population that arthritis must simply be lived with and that treatments for arthritis (a) won't help or (b) are prohibitively expensive. Happily, this is not the case.
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Today's Arthritis Videos

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  Therapeutic Yoga : Yoga Poses for Rheumatoid Arthritis

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  Safe Exercise Tips : How Do I Exercise With Rheumatoid Arthritis?

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  Herbal Remedies & Treatments : Herbal Tonic for Healing Arthritis

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  Arthritis Information & Relief : How to Control Pain in a Knee With Arthritis

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  Arthritis Information & Relief : Consequences of Not Treating Arthritis

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  Acupressure 101 : Acupressure for Hand Arthritis

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  Arthritis Information & Relief : How to Reduce Arthritis Symptoms

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  Arthritis Information & Relief : Treatment for Arthritis of the Hands

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis affects approximately 1.3 million people. While it occurs mostly in middle-aged men and women, it has been known to affect the elderly, as well as children. It differs from arthritis, which causes redness, swelling, warmth and pain in the joints, in that rheumatoid arthritis is chronic and symmetric, meaning that it usually occurs in both sides of the body (i.e. if the right knee is affected, then the left knee is generally affected, too). Rheumatoid arthritis is considered an autoimmune disease, and when triggered, the immune system begins to attack the joints. While women are at a higher risk to develop rheumatoid arthritis, the affects are generally worse for men who become inflicted. Rheumatoid arthritis pain can be debilitating, and in some cases, it can affect not only the joints, but the skin, eyes, lungs, blood, and nerves.
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Osteoarthritis

The joints in a healthy body are protected by a cover of cartilage over the bone ends which enables them to move freely and painlessly. Osteoarthritis is a disease that deteriorates the joints by affecting the cartilage which covers the surface of those bone ends. The wax-like tissue on the ends of the bones wears away allowing the bone ends to grate against each other, and even become mis-shaped. This further damages the cartilage, causing bone slivers and chips of cartilage to drift around inside the joint area between the bones causing great pain and restricting movement. Osteoarthritis affects mainly the joints in the spine, hips, knees and hands. The fingers are most noticeably affected as the joints become red, knobby, large and very painful. Primarily, older people are affected by the disease, however, injuries to the joints may cause osteoarthritis in younger people. Osteoarthritis (OA), also called Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD), afflicts almost 27 million Americans. Of these, 13.9% are adults over the age of 25 and 33.6% are 65 and older. This common form of arthritis affects 151 million people around the world. The numbers are steadily growing.
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Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is an illness that is related to arthritis. Following osteoarthritis, it is the most common arthritis related illness. It is characterized by muscle and joint pain that is widespread throughout the body as well as fatigue. Depression is also commonly associated with this condition. Fibromyalgia is frequently misdiagnosed. This condition can severely impact the quality of life of individuals who suffer from it, producing both a physical as well as psychological impact. Some individuals may also suffer from Fibromyalgia Syndrome; which is characterized by a set of symptoms such as depression, fatigue that can become incapacitating, widespread pain and decreased pain threshold or points on the body that are extremely tender to the touch. More

Gout Arthritis

Arthritis, one of the most common diseases in the United States of America, is most generally characterized by inflammation in a joint. However, the symptoms go much further than that. Gout is a type of arthritis; in fact, many believe it is one of the most painful forms of arthritis. It can be described by an abrupt fierce pain, stiffness, and swollen and tender joints. Gout is most commonly seen in men and typically affects the big toe, but can also affect other joints in the leg like the ankle, knee, and foot. More