Arthritis is a disease that can be very serious, painful, and in some cases greatly limit mobility. Often, when watching TV or surfing the Web, you are likely to come across advertisements that offer “quick arthritis pain relief,” there may even be some on this page. However, these kinds of adverts can be very dangerous and detrimental to those effected by arthritis, because they can lead an individual to think that having arthritis is normal or no big deal. As a result, a great deal of time might go by between when they first experience the symptoms of arthritis and when they go see a doctor, which can greatly increase the risk of damage due to arthritis.

The word arthritis is made up of two Latin words that very accurately describe the disease. “Arthr” is Latin for joints and “itis” is Latin for Inflammation. However, Arthritis is characterized by more than just joint inflammation and there are actually over 100 different types of arthritis, although 10% of these make up the majority of all reported cases.

Since there are so many different types of Arthritis, it is essential that an individual is properly diagnosed, so that they can receive the best treatment available.

Often doctors and those in the medical industry will use the term Rheumatic Disease and Arthritis interchangeably. However, technically Arthritis is one of a number of different Rheumatic Diseases. A rheumatic disease is a disorder that affects not only an individuals joints, but also their supporting structures, such as tendons, muscles, and bones. Rheumatic Disease are characterized by inflammation and can also cause the body's organs to become damaged.

One of the most common symptoms of arthritis is a feeling of stiffness in the joints. Many times, the stiffness will be the worst in the morning or after having been inactive for a long period of time, but will go away after about a half hour. In the case of joint discomfort that only occurs in the morning and goes away, it is likely that the individual has an inflammatory type of arthritis. If the joint discomfort is caused by weight bearing activities, then it is likely to be a non-inflammatory type of arthritis.

Those with arthritis will also often report difficulty walking and getting around, swollen joints, and recurring joint pain. To a lesser extent, crepitus, which is a crackling sound made by the joints when they are moved, can also occur.

While often, the symptoms of arthritis are joint and movement related, this is not always the case. Sudden weight loss, an overall feeling of weakness, fatigue, and general discomfort can also be symptoms of arthritis.