| Arthritis covers a broad spectrum of disease. | | | | muscles, ligaments, tendons, and soft tissues |
| To many, the term arthritis means pain and | | | | under the skin. Many patients have tender |
| inflammation of the joints - but, arthritis | | | | spots under the skin that are painful when |
| is a much more complex medical condition. | | | | any type of pressure is applied. The |
| The term arthritis comes from the Latin | | | | symptoms for Fibromyalgia include deep muscle |
| phrase, "arth" meaning joint and "it is" | | | | pain, fatigue, sleeplessness, and |
| meaning inflammation. There are over 100 | | | | depression. Symptoms may come and go, but the |
| illnesses associated with the term | | | | disease is long term and chronic. |
| arthritis. Arthritis can range from something | | | | |
| as simple as tendonitis to something as | | | | Other Types of Arthritis |
| chronic as rheumatoid arthritis. | | | | |
| | | | - Anklyosing Spondylitis - a chronic, |
| Three Most Common Types of Arthritis | | | | inflammatory disease that affects the spine. |
| | | | The common symptoms include lower back pain |
| - Osteoarthritis - the most common type of | | | | and stiffness that lasts for more than a |
| arthritis. This degenerative joint disease | | | | period of three months, difficulty sleeping, |
| affects over 16 million Americans. This form | | | | fatigue, weight loss, and low-grade fever. |
| of arthritis is caused when the cartilage | | | | |
| surrounding the ends of the bones begins to | | | | - Gout - this disease usually affects the |
| degenerate and the joints are no longer | | | | joints of the big toe, but can extend to the |
| cushioned. This caused the joints to rub | | | | ankles, heels, knees, wrists, fingers, and |
| together and in severe cases, you can hear | | | | elbow. The common symptoms are tenderness, |
| the bones grating against one another. At | | | | pain, redness, warmth, and swelling of the |
| the onset of osteoarthritis, the symptoms | | | | affected joint. |
| are usually mild and consist of pain and | | | | |
| stiffness of the joints. As the disease | | | | - Infectious Arthritis - this type of |
| progresses, inflammation and loss of motion | | | | arthritis is caused by an infection, and can |
| can occur. In some severe cases, deformity | | | | be caused by both bacterial and viral |
| can occur if the grinding joints wear one | | | | infections. The onset of infectious arthritis |
| side of the joint more than the other. | | | | is sudden and the symptoms include swelling |
| | | | of the joint, soreness, warmth, leakage of |
| - Rheumatoid arthritis - This is the second | | | | tissue fluid, fever, and chills. |
| most common type of arthritis and the most | | | | |
| severe. Symptoms usually begin appearing | | | | - Cervical arthritis - this type of arthritis |
| between the ages of 25 and 50 - however, | | | | affects the upper back and can cause pain in |
| children and senior citizens can experience | | | | the neck and arms. Cervical arthritis is |
| the onset of this disease. Rheumatoid | | | | caused when the cartilage protecting the |
| arthritis is the most common type of | | | | discs that support the neck deteriorate. The |
| inflammatory arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis | | | | most common symptom of cervical arthritis is |
| is considered an autoimmune disease because | | | | chronic neck pain, but can include loss of |
| factors other than wear and tear of | | | | balance, headaches, muscle weakness, and |
| cartilage can cause the disease and the | | | | stiffness. |
| disease can affect other organs, such as the | | | | |
| eyes, lungs, and heart. | | | | - Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis - this |
| | | | inflammatory arthritis affects children. The |
| Rheumatoid arthritis usually affects the | | | | most common symptoms of Juvenile Rheumatoid |
| joints on both sides of the body - for | | | | Arthritis are swelling, pain, and stiffness |
| instance, both hands will be affected, both | | | | in joints. The symptoms are usually worse in |
| wrists will be affected, and both legs will | | | | children upon waking in the morning and after |
| be affected. The most common symptoms of | | | | a nap. There is no known reason for the |
| rheumatoid arthritis are pain, stiffness, | | | | onset of arthritis in children and, unlike |
| swelling, redness of the skin, fatigue, | | | | rheumatoid arthritis in adults, children |
| weight loss, and low-grade fever. Not only | | | | sometimes outgrow the disease and the |
| affecting the joints, rheumatoid arthritis | | | | symptoms disappear. |
| can give you an overall feeling of sickness. | | | | |
| Rheumatoid arthritis can be a debilitating | | | | These are just some of the many types of |
| disease, however patients can experience | | | | arthritis. In general terms, arthritis is any |
| periods of remission in which the symptoms | | | | disease that involves inflammation - |
| disappear and they can lead a normal life. | | | | swelling and pain of the joints or muscles. |
| | | | If you suspect that you suffer from |
| - Fibromyalgia - This is a type of arthritis | | | | arthritis, you should consult your physician |
| that does not directly affect the joints. | | | | to determine the type of arthritis and learn |
| Rather, the inflammation and pain affect the | | | | what treatments are available. |