Do I Have Arthritis?

For up-to-date information about arthritis and do i have arthritis? in particular please continue reading this brief article.

While people occasionally talk about ‘true’ arthritis there is in fact no such thing and when we use this term we are talking about a group of conditions in which arthritis is the primary disease present and plays a major role in your condition. The best known conditions in this group are both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

The most commonly seen type of arthritis right now is osteoarthritis which is an extremely painful condition experienced as stiffness together with a reduction in movement in the joints that a significant number of people find considerably reduces their quality of life. Usually found in the knees, hips, spine and ankles, osteoarthritis is caused by the destruction of the cartilage that protects the bones so that the bones are no longer cushioned and are able to rub against one another. Osteoarthritis is commonly caused by some kind of injury or a metabolic condition.

The second most common type of arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis which is a disease caused by a deficiency of the body’s auto-immune system. Rheumatoid arthritis normally appears in pairs of joints, such as the elbows, when it is described as being symmetrical. First witnessed as an inflammation of the lining of the joints it moves on to attack first the cartilage and then the bones of the joint.

Let us take a minute to think about a few of the many different types of arthritis before we look more closely at do i have arthritis?.

There are numerous conditions that are defined as ‘true’ arthritis including:

Ankylosing Spondylitis. This is a chronic condition, usually called bamboo spine because of the way in which the vertebrae fuse together to form a rigid spine. No cause has been identified for this condition but it is said to have an inherited element.

Infectious Arthritis. A huge range of fungi, bacteria and viruses can colonize the joints of the body and generate fever, inflammation and the loss of movement within the joint.

Arthritis can also accompany other conditions where it is not the key illness but is a major player in your condition. Such conditions include:

Lyme Disease. Arthritis is merely one of the consequences of Lyme disease which is caused by a tick bite. Lyme disease is also evidenced by fever, red skin lesions and heart and nerve problems.

Amongst various conditions in which arthritis has a small role are:

Paget’s Disease. In a case of Paget’s disease the usual process of degeneration and re-building of the bones is accelerated producing larger, softer and weaker bones than is usual. This in turn can produce arthritis in the joints typically of the skull, hips, knees, spine and ankles.

Finally, before shifting our focus towards do i have arthritis? we ought also to take a look at several suggestions to help in dealing with arthritis.

Try to save your energy by alternating heavy chores with light chores.

Make sure you get a good night’s sleep by keeping your bedroom quiet and dark.

Try adapting your house to make life easier by selecting footwear which have Velcro fastenings rather than traditional laces.

Make house cleaning much easier by using a long extension cord on the vacuum so that you do not have to continually bend down to unplug the vacuum and plug it in again.

Do I have arthritis? – The most recent reports and extra information and facts: