What Are The Most Common Types Of Arthritis?

By Author: Garima Anamdani
Total Articles: 38
Comment this article

Arthropathy refers to all kinds of joint diseases. Arthritis, in truth, is just a small segment of Arthropathy, which has more than 100 different types. Arthritis refers mainly to joint inflammation. Today, though, it includes more than 100 rheumatic conditions of tissues, joints, cartilage and other connective tissues.

Since we can’t explore all the diseases within a scope of this article, we must explore the most common types only. Most of these are rare and cause pain due to joint stiffness. The common types, on the other hand, affect masses worldwide. So, let’s check them out in detail.

• Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease. In laymen’s language, it is the result of basic wear and tear, which can happen due to overuse, obesity, demanding work like sports or aging. Due to one or many of these reasons, the outcome includes mechanical abnormalities that can cause joint degeneration in most joints in the body.

• Rheumatoid Arthritis
This is an autoimmune disease which causes systematic ...
... inflammatory disorder, leading to loss of mobility and functioning in affected joints. In simpler terms, your body’s immune system attacks the bones and lining of joints in the body, thus causing inflammation in the joints in the form of swelling, pain, redness, and deformity.

• Gout
This is a rheumatic disease due to deposition of uric acid crystals within tissues and fluids of the body. In simple terms, over-production and deposits of uric acid crystals lead to Gout. This is the most common disease among men, caused due to uncontrolled metabolic developments. It develops in four different stages of severity: asymptomatic tissue deposition, acute flares, inter-critical segments and chronic gout.

• Juvenile (Childhood) Arthritis
This condition is the umbrella term for autoimmune and inflammatory conditions that affect children up to 16 years of age. The most problematic situation about this ailment is that there is no research that demonstrates the cause of this ailment among young ones. Management of this ailment includes catering to children’s’ physical and emotional challenges.

While it depends on the patient, Arthritis, on the whole, is considered incurable as of today. Most Arthritis treatments are designed to simply manage the pain and minimize any further damage. Potential management options include physical therapy, NSAIDs (Non-steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs), corticosteroids, muscle relaxants, acupuncture, electromagnetic pulse therapy, analgesics, manual therapy, electro-stimulation techniques, etc. There are surgical options available as well. But, in most cases, there is no treatment for Arthritis. One of the most effective solutions available today includes joint replacement surgery for Rheumatoid arthritis and Osteoporosis.

Dr Garima Anandani (P.T.), CMP, Dip. MDT
Head- Clinical Operations, Qi Spine Clinic
Dr Anandani is the first clinician from India to qualify for the prestigious Diploma in M.D.T. from The McKenzie Institute International and University of Otago. She has acquired specialized training in Spine rehabilitation & from St David's Spine and Sports Therapy, Austin, Texas (USA) and from The Polyclinic, Seattle (USA). She is also one of the few Certified Mulligan Practitioners in India, with over 14 years of clinical experience in handling musculoskeletal disorders.