What is arthritis? The most commonly used definition for arthritis is an inflammation of the joints. The joints of the body are where two bones connect allowing the limbs to bend for movement purposes. Arthritis causes the joints to swell which makes the bones stiff and lessens the flexibility of your movement. It is important to note that arthritis is not a single disease.

There are well over 100 rheumatic diseases that cause pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints that arthritis describes. To make it plain there are many different types of arthritis and many different causes for arthritis. For example osteoarthritis (degeneration of the joints disease)is a form of arthritis and the most common cause of arthritis is hereditary, if a parent suffered from this disease chances are it will get passed on to the children.

Another unavoidable cause of arthritis is old age. It’s no secret that the older a person becomes their chances of them experiencing arthritic pain in their joints increases by a large margin. That’s because the bones of the body begin to degenerate as a person becomes older.

The Number 1 Sign of Arthritis:

The major complaint from people who have a form of arthritis is the joint pain. When the arthritis is in its early stage the pain may come and go but as it grows the pain becomes more constant. The inflammation of the joints is what causes the pain to occur.

Common forms of arthritis:

Arthritis in hands is the most common among people who suffer from severe arthritis pain. Studies have shown that at least 1% of all Americans suffer from arthritis in hands. It is important to note that the first place arthritis attacks are your smaller joints such as arthritis in hands, wrist and feet. As the disease grows it spreads to the larger joints such as, arthritis in knees, elbows, neck and shoulder.

What should I do if I am experiencing arthritis in hands?

The first thing a person who has had or is having symptoms of arthritis should do is set up an appointment with their doctor and get a diagnosis. As we mentioned earlier there are over a 100 arthritic diseases and it’s important to know which one you might have. Understand that just because you have experienced arthritic like symptoms does not mean you have arthritis. The only way to know is to have a diagnosis. So what is arthritis? The best way to define arthritis is to say it is any disease that attacks the joints of the body.