Arthritis is a general term for the conditions that cause pain to the joints and surrounding tissues. Joints in the human body are the points where bones connect. Hips, knees, fingers, wrists, and toes are examples of joints.

There are different types, but the two dominant kinds are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. The main difference between the two is the cause of joint pain.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune inflammatory illness that occurs when the body releases enzymes that attack its healthy tissues.

These attack and destroy joint linings in the fingers, wrists, and elbows on the hands. They also attack the shoulders, knees, ankles, and feet to cause pain because of the following effects of an attack.

• Swelling
• Malformation
• Stiffness
• Reduces movement and function

RA might also cause other systematic symptoms including fever, fatigue and eye inflammation. Severe RA can cause anemia, pleurisy (lung inflammation) or subcutaneous nodules (bumps under the skin).

Osteoarthritis (OA)

OA is a painful and degenerative joint pain that occurs after extreme wear and tear on the joints. It causes pain in the hips, neck, knees, small joints on hands and the lower back.

Osteoarthritis manifests after an injury to the joints due to repeated overuse when performing particular tasks, excess body weight or extreme playing of favorite sport. Eventually, the repeated impact wears or tears the cartilage cushioning the edges of bones in the joint. A grating sensation occurs when the exposed bones rub against each other. Osteoarthritis affects the joints by reducing flexibility and causing swelling. It is also the reason why bone spurs grow. Pain that worsens with mobility or exercise is the first sign of OA.

Other frequent types of arthritis that professionals in medical practice treat are:

Traumatic Arthritis

The cause of this type of arthritis is an injury to the joint. It mostly occurs among occurs among the elderly who stumble and fall. Younger patients who have traumatic arthritis get it through injuries when engaging in particular sport or extreme leisure activity.

Traumatic arthritis occurs due to a joint sprain that causes damage to its ligaments or dislocation of the binding capsule at the end of the articular bone (part of the lower jaw). Both disrupt bones from the normal position to prevent them from functioning correctly.

Traumatic arthritis can also occur due to fracture through the joint to cause bleeding into joint space and increases the likelihood of getting secondary arthritis in later years.

Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriatic Arthritis causes inflammation on the joins and skin (psoriasis). Psoriasis usually occurs first causing the inflammation of the skin characterized by patchy, red, and white raised areas with scales. It mostly affects the scalp, navel, and the tips of knees, elbows, and skin around the groin.

Psoriasis develops to psoriatic arthritis only in 10-30% of the people. It occurs in men and women. Arthritis starts at the age of 30 to 50 years, but some few cases manifest in childhood. Swelling of the toes and fingers are the signs of psoriatic arthritis. Discoloring and pitting are other common signs you find on the fingernails of the patients. Some people only get pain in one or few joints. For example, a person can only feel pain in one knee or the spine. It may also affect just the toes or fingers.

Juvenile Arthritis

Juvenile Arthritis is a collective term for different types that occur in children under 16 years. It affects children young as 4 years old but settles down as the child grows. However, I can still stunt a child’s growth and cause irreversible deformities in the joints even if it disappears with age. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis is the most prevalent type of autoimmune disorders that damage joints in children. It may cause these damages:

• Erosion of bones
• Tightening of muscle and soft tissues
• Misalignment of joints
• Change of growth patterns

Sometimes arthritis can be reactive to infections that occur in one body part and trigger inflammation in a joint at another section. For example, a virus on the bladder can cause reactive arthritis at a joint in a far-off joint. It is vital for a doctor to order tests on samples of fluid from an ailing joint, blood and urine to diagnose the conditions causing the inflammation.

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