What Is Arthritis?

If you suffer from a grinding pain in your hip, an aching knee which makes the simple act of walking around your own home difficult or swollen and stiff fingers which mean that you cannot do simple everyday things like taking the lid off a jar, then you probably do not need to ask the question – “What is arthritis?”

Arthritis catches up with most of us sooner or later and for an unlucky few who suffer from advanced arthritis it can seriously effect the quality of your life and force you to not only live with constant pain but to surrender your mobility and often your independence. This said, for the majority of sufferers it is possible to manage arthritis very effectively with the help of your doctor and a few simple changes to the way you lead your life. You may not be able to cure your arthritis and you may not get back to leading the life you did when you were in your twenties and thirties, but you can certainly lead an enjoyable and productive life which is not dictated by your condition.

But exactly what is arthritis?

This is a simple enough question but one which unfortunately does not have quite such a simple answer because arthritis is not one single condition but a term which is used to describe a group of diseases, each of which has a different cause, displays different symptoms and requires its own particular form of treatment. There is however one common thread which runs through all of these diseases and that is that they affect some part of a joint in the body, they cause pain and occasionally a loss of movement in the joint and they are frequently accompanied by inflammation.

An Elderly Lady With Rheumatoid Arthritis

At this point it is interesting to note that the word arthritis comes from two Greek words – arthros which means joint and itis which means inflammation. It should also be noted that this group of conditions was also often referred to as rheumatism in the past but is now more commonly called arthritis. For all practical purposes however arthritis and rheumatism are one and the same thing.

Opinion varies on just which conditions make up the group of ailments referred to as arthritis and some texts on the subject suggest that there may be as many as one hundred different conditions which can be classed as arthritis. It is however important to distinguish between those conditions which are ‘true’ arthritis and those which are conditions in which arthritis plays a part but is not the central ailment.

Even here we must be careful as ‘true’ arthritis is not itself a medical term but is simply used when talking about ailments in which arthritis is the principle element of the condition. Within this group the best two examples are rheumatoid arthritis and degenerative arthritis, which is also known as osteo arthritis (and frequently written as osteoarthritis). This group of ‘true’ arthritis conditions also includes ankylosing spondylitis, gonococcal arthritis, gout, infectious arthritis, juvenile arthritis, pseudo gout, psoriatic arthropathy and Reiter’s syndrome.

There are also a handful of conditions in which, while arthritis is not the principle underlying cause of the condition, it is nonetheless a major part of the condition. These diseases include lyme disease, reactive arthritis, scleroderma and systematic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Next, there is a group of conditions in which arthritis is often present but again is not the principle cause of the condition and, on this occasion, plays only a minor role. These conditions include bursitis, tendonitis, Paget’s disease, Polymyalgia rheumatica, Raynaud’s disease and Sjögren’s syndrome.

Finally, there are several conditions which are often accompanied by arthritis but in which arthritis constitutes a quite separate and unconnected condition. These conditions include carpal tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia and myositis.

So much for the question of “what is arthritis?” But what about its symptoms…

The signs and symptoms of arthritis.

With such a large group of conditions being linked in varying degrees to arthritis, how do you know if you have arthritis and whether or not the condition is serious enough for you to seek medical help?

The first trap to avoid is that of thinking that arthritis only afflicts the elderly. While it is certainly true that arthritis is largely a condition experienced by seniors, it can strike at any age and one form of ‘true’ arthritis is juvenile arthritis.

All of us will experience joint pain from time to time and this is especially true if we overreach ourselves physically, quite often playing sport or in the gym. Such pain is however almost always temporary and, with care, will disappear in a matter of days. However, sometimes pain will arise without any obvious cause and simply does not disappear with the passage of time. If this is the case then you may be experiencing the beginnings of arthritis whose typical warning signs include:

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  A Painful Arthritic Hand

  Joint Pain. You may experience pain which is either constant or which comes and goes and which may appear to be connected either with movement of a joint or with sitting still for any length of time. Pain of this nature which lasts for anything up to a few days is fine but if it persists for more than 14 days then you need to consult your doctor.
• Joint Stiffness. If you have problems with any normal day to day activities which involve the use of a joint and cannot readily associate this problem with muscle strain then this may be a sign of arthritis. Normal day to day activities will include getting in and out of bed, getting into and out of a chair, climbing or descending the stairs and opening jars.
• Swelling. Joint inflammation is one signal which should not be ignored and needs to be seen by your doctor without delay. If the skin around a joint is puffed up, red, hot, throbbing or painful when touched then the joint is inflamed.

You may experience all three of these symptoms or simply be conscious of just one or perhaps two of them together. Whether you are experiencing one, two or all three of these symptoms is not important. What is important is that you should seek medical advice if you experience any one or a combination of these symptoms for more than two weeks.

These of course are just some of the symptoms of arthritis and we deal with these and others in more detail elsewhere on this site. Indeed, if you look at the menu at the top of this page and hover your mouse over any of the menu items you will see that we cover just about everything you could ever want to know about arthritis from its causes to its treatment. So, having answered the question “what is arthritis?” now is the time to explore this complex disease in more detail.