Arthritis

Many people suffer the aches and pains of damaged or inflamed joints. Some are just uncomfortable, and some become crippled as a result of a disease that has been recognized since prehistoric urnes but understood in only the past few decades.

The term arthritis covers a group of more than 100 diseases that involve inflammation of joints and discomfort in connective tissues throughout the body. In many parts of the world the disease is called rheumatism.

The arth part comes from the Greek word meaning joint, while tis means inflammation or infection. Thus the word arthritis means inflammation of the joint. The problem is that in many kinds of arthritis the joint is not inflamed. A better description might be problem with the joint.

You probably have known many people who have had arthritis and heard their stories of pain, of various attempts at treatment, and perhaps of some relief. Arthritis is a frequent conversational topic because it affects so many of us. It is estimated that about one out of every seven people in America have arthritis in some form. .

Our body's joints are not like the joints of a robot. They can't be oiled when they feel stiff. Yet the joints in your

body are mechanical parts. and when they no longer move easily and smoothly. they do not work effectively and comfortably. What causes the pain? What causes the stiffness? What can you do about it?

The first thing to get out of the way is the myth that there is such thing as a single disease called arthritis. The truth is that the word arthritis is about as useful and specific as the word infection; and just as there are over hundred different types of infection so there are over a hundered different types of arthritis

Because arthritis takes many fonns, some with devastating effects on your future health, careful diagnosis as soon as symptoms are noticed, is important. Early detection and prompt treatment can help relieve pain and prevent later complications. Arthritis affects individuals in different ways.

Treatments that work for one person with one type of arthritis do not always work for another person with another type.

Self-diagnosis and self-treatment, based on the experiences of others, can have potentially hannful effects in that it causes the self-medicator to postpone more appropriate, individualized treatment.