Arthritis is not just a single type but there are more than one hundred conditions. It is literally known as the inflammation of the joints. Due to various circumstances, the deterioration of the body joints lead to a condition, which we will refer to as arthritis. Arthritis is the foremost cause of senior citizens disability; especially those that are pass the age of sixty-five years old. It is the assumption of many conditions and the cause for different conditions varies.

Arthritis affliction can be extremely painful but some are more so than others. Arthritis usually forms from a known cause and they can be swelling on the knees joints. The hands and the knees are the most commonly affected joints. Fatigue, the inflammation of the membrane at the joints and ligaments as well as tendons is some of the symptoms that cause the pain. Most people are usually afflicted with more than two forms of arthritis.

One widespread symptom is that most will suffer from varying degrees of pain and the pain differs from condition to condition. The most common symptoms exhibited are stiffness, swelling, limited mobility to one or more joints and pain, which can be extreme. If the symptoms last for over two weeks, then there is a need to seek the advice of a physician to diagnose it and seek immediate treatment.

Two of the most common arthritis is osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoathritis will normally result in pain at night or just after you have taken a rest. On the other hand rheumatoid arthritis, which is the most incapacitating and painful of all will result in pain in the morning and when you are afflicted initially. Senior citizens and children who are afflicted with arthritis usually don't suffer from distinct pain but their mobility will usually be limited or the afflicted limbs will lose its function.

Besides osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, other forms of arthritis are ankylosing spondylitis, Still's disease or juvenile arthritis, septic, gout in addition to psedudogout. There are many choices in treating arthritis and it all hinges on the conditions, arthroplasty as well as medications. In the most severe cases, the physician will fix a prosthetic joint as they are very reliable and those who try them are usually more than satisfied.

Although no specific arthritis is known as hand arthritis but swelling as well as pain occurring in the hand, fingers and wrist is the result of different types of arthritis, for instant rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is the main cause of hand arthritis.

Osteoarthritis is due to aging and with loss of water in the joint; friction is formed. The cartilage will wear out as a result and with that, the bone will rub against each other, resulting in pain and swelling in the hand, thus hand arthritis.

Many older citizens suffer from knee arthritis, which can take the form of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and traumatic arthritis. The pain from knee arthritis can give rise to depression in older people. Knee arthritis is the result of the gradual swelling of the knee joint and will get worst with lack of exercise.

Arthritis has been noted to exist way back to roughly 4500 BC when it was found in humans but there are proofs that even dinosaurs have contracted ankle osteoarthritis. Arthritis was also found in the skeletal remains of Native Americans of Tennessee and certain areas of the present Olathe in Kansas.

There are further evidences to point out that mummy in the times of Otzi, way back in 3000 BC contracted it and the first known cure appear to be the willow bark and it goes back to 500 BC. In the present era, it is known that more than a trillion tablets of aspirin are sold throughout the world to ease the suffering of patients.

Some of those patients with slight pain just require Tylenol, which does not require prescription, and when the pain arises, they just pop it. But others who are afflicted with severe pain might need physician to prescribe cortisone injections to the sore joints. Narcotic drugs can be used to relieve the pain as well. On the other hand, there are also pain management clinics. The treatment for arthritis is to manage it, as there is no known cure. Advances in medical science have make arthritis more manageable.