Arthritis is a disease of the musculoskeletal system and the damage to the joints can be bad as time goes by, accompanied by swelling and pain. Cartilage between the bones is what makes sure that there is no pain thanks to the bones coming into contact with each other in our joints. Cartilage cells are called Chondrocytes and their needs are same as the other organs and glands in the body. New cartilage cells or chondrocytes are replaced with new ones as they die.
The body can handle only a certain amount of cartilage cell replacement when there is inflammation the cartilage cells need much faster replacement which sometimes cannot be handled by the body. This is especially true if there has been an injury or there is not enough proper nutrients in the body to repair the joint. The condition causes damage where instability, deformities and joint weakness can obstruct daily life. Generally, arthritis can be treated with physical therapy, medication, and changes to the lifestyle the individual is used to living. Joint replacement surgery is a last resort after health care providers have tried other less intrusive interventions to relieve the discomfort.
Arthritis has two main categories which is based on the areas of the body affected, ‘localized’ or ‘generalized’; this is further divided in to sub categories. One of the sub-categories is localized conditions which only affect the soft tissue that surrounds the bones or joints, and is used to relate to conditions like tendonitis or bursitis. A sub category of localized conditions is when only one or two joints are affected like the hip or the knee. It could also be that the patient is affected in a more general sense with no inflammation or signs of swelling. A common type in arthritis is Fibromyalgia and this is categorized in the main category which does not cause joint damage.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an example of a condition under this category, as well as gout, and psoriatic arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis, gout and psortiatis arthritis are examples of the next conditions in this subcategory. 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.
46 million adults and 300,000 children are approximately affected in the United States with one or more of the 100 different medical arthritic conditions. This condition can start as early as infancy, while it is most common among adults over 60, primarily in the form of osteoarthritis. As the population within America ages, the number of individuals that are suffering from arthritis is constantly increasing.
Medical care and indirect expenses costs over 124 billion dollars in the US where arthritis and related problems are the main cause of disability. One could avoid osteoarthritis by keeping a check on the weight and by eating fresh vegetables and fruits that contain vitamin C and Vitamin D. 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.