Arthritis is a musculo-skeletal disorder causing stiffness, pain and swelling around or within the joints. Arthritis is caused by several factors such as disease, infection, genetic anomalies and aging. Inflammed joints can also affect the surrounding tissues spreading the pain and swelling into a wider area. Arthritis pain and inflammation is mostly unavoidable for an aging body. In general, people over the age of 50 will show some signs of arthritis because this is the age where the joints start to degrade. Arthritis is one of the leading cause of immobility among people ages 50 and above. This disease is long term and does not have a cure, you can only manage the symptoms associated with arthritis.
Notes:
You should exercise according to the recommendation of your physician
You should avoid stress on the joints that are affected by arthritis
Always stay informed and read the news by reputable organizations such as the National Institute of Health or Arthritis Foundation
References:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/
National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
http://www.niams.nih.gov/
National Institutes of Health
http://www.nih.gov/
Arthritis Foundation
http://www.arthritis.org
American College of Rheumatology
http://www.rheumatology.org
Page last updated: May 01, 2009
May 10th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
“stiffness, pain and swelling around or within the joints”. I don’t have swelling or stiffness, just some pain on my left hand’s wrist and finger joints. My wife tells me it’s arthritis. Heck, I don’t know the difference between arthritis and rheumatism. BTW, I spend 10 to 12 hours on the keyboard.