Arthritis Pain
This site is dedicated to helping people suffering from arthritis pain. Helping you to start living the live that you love again.
The word Arthritis refers to inflammation of the joint. The most common symptoms are pain, swelling and stiffness in one or more joints and fatigue.
There are more than 100 known types of arthritis but there are three prevalent types: osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gout.
Osteoarthritis Arthritis Pain
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and is a condition where the bones become fragile and brittle, caused by damage, infection or aging joints. Osteoarthritis usually occurs in large weight-bearing joints such as hips, knees, shoulders and the lower spine. It can also occur in the hands, particularly at the base of the thumb and the end joints of the fingers.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of the joints, usually in the hands, feet and knees. Women are three times as likely as men to develop rheumatoid arthritis. The body’s immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, rather than fighting diseases. When this happens, the tissue surrounding a joint becomes inflamed and thickened. This causes the body to produce increased amounts of fluid in the joints causing swelling, pain and stiffness.
Gout
Gout affects about 70,000 Australians, mostly men between 40-50 years of age. The first attack usually affects the big toe joint first although it can go on to affect the knees, ankles and hands. Gout is caused when an elevated level of uric acid crystalises in the joints causing irritation and tissue inflammation.