Arthritis Explained - A Guide

Are you looking for an Arthritis Cure? Arthritis means pain and this could be anywhere in the muscles or the bones which the disease affects; the joints especially bear the brunt and are very painful. Cartilage is a dense, living, tissue covering the ends of bones, protecting them from abrasion as the joint bones rub against each other. Cartilage as a living tissue behaves very much like other organs and glands and these cells are termed as chondrocytes. The chondrocytes die, they are replaced with new ones and the life cycle goes on. The primary focus of this article will be to explain arthritis rather then arthritis cures.

However, over time inflammation can kill more cartilage cells than the body can replace. This is more so if the body is undernourished and lacks the required nutrients to repair or the joint has suffered an injury. Lack of sufficient cartilage, can cause instability, joint weakness, pain and deformity, all of which affect and interrupt regular activities. Generally, arthritis can be treated with physical therapy, medication, and changes to the lifestyle the individual is used to living. Health care providers use joint replacement surgery as their last resort, once they have tried all of the less intrusive interventions, to try and relieve the discomfort.

Arthritis is divided into two main categories, i.e. localized and generalized depending on areas affected; it is further subdivided into sub-categories. The two localized conditions are bursitis and tendonitis; they affect the soft tissues surrounding the bones and joints. It could just be that the localized conditions could manifest themselves in just one of two joints being affected. It could also be that the patient is affected in a more general sense with no arthritis inflammation or signs of swelling. Fibromyalgia, even though it isn't associated with joint damage, is a very common form which can be placed under this particular category.

The next condition in the second sub category causes inflammation which affects the whole body. Gout, psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are examples of this condition. Still other generalized situations include polymyositis, involving muscles, systemic lupus erythematosus involving the skin, kidneys and or other organs and vasculitis where any organ is involved.

An individual is capable of having more than just one arthritis type and it includes over one hundred different medical conditions that are known to affect roughly forty six million adults and three hundred thousand children within the United States. As early on as infancy, this condition can begin, even though it is most commonly seen in adults that are over the age of sixty, in the primary form of osteoarthritis. As the American population ages, the number of people suffering with it is increasing.

Arthritis and related illnesses are the cause of major disability in the U.S. and costs over 124 billion dollars a year in medical care and indirect expenses. By taking the time to follow a couple of simple steps, most individuals can help to prevent osteoarthritis: The ability to maintain the appropriate weight and consume fresh vegetables and fruits are a really good source of vitamins D and C. Consumption of calcium is very important, adults must consume about 1000-1500mg calcium every day, exercising daily is a must and one must avoid injuries that may damage the joints.