Arthritis means pain and this could be anywhere in the muscles or the bones which the disease affects; the joints especially bear the brunt and are very painful. Each bone is covered with a living tissue that covers the ends of the bones and guards them from rubbing against each other; this tissue is known as the Cartilage. The cells or Chondrocytes which cartilage is made up of are similar to the ones in the other glands in the human body. The cartilage cells that are the chondrocytes are usually replaced by new cells when the old ones die.

The body can handle only a certain amount of cartilage cell replacement when there is inflammation the cartilage cells need much faster replacement which sometimes cannot be handled by the body. The body fails to generate new cells when there is lack of proper nutrients or if there has been an injury. The condition causes damage where instability, deformities and joint weakness can obstruct daily life. Generally, arthritis can be treated with physical therapy, medication, and changes to the lifestyle the individual is used to living. If an arthritis patient does not get any relief from medication and other forms of therapies then the last option they can resort to is joint replacement.

Arthritis can be grouped into two main categories based upon the ‘localized’ or ‘generalized’ areas of the body or joints that are affected and then into sub-categories. Localized conditions are bursitis and tendonitis and they affect the soft tissues surrounding the bones and joints. One of the localized conditions could affect just the hip or the knee joints. A generalized condition is a condition where the muscles and the soft tissues get damaged, in this condition there is no swelling or any kind of inflammation on the joints. In this condition there is no evident kind of damage caused to the joints and is known as Fibromyalgia; this kind of arthritis is widespread among people.

The second sub category is one where there is inflammation and the whole body is affected. Gout, Rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis are all related to this group. Some of the other generalized conditions are known to include: muscles or polymyositis, vasculitis and systemic lupus erythematosus.

An individual is capable of having more than just one arthritis type and it includes over one hundred different medical conditions that are known to affect roughly forty six million adults and three hundred thousand children within the United States. This condition can start as early as infancy, while it is most common among adults over 60, primarily in the form of osteoarthritis. The number of people suffering out of this condition is increasing proportionally with the increasing average age of the American population; with old age setting in people suffering with arthritis is increasing day by day.

Within the United States, arthritis as well as several related illnesses are known to be the cause of major disability and it cost over one hundred and twenty four billion dollars each year in indirect expenses and medical care expenses. Maintaining the right weight, eating fresh fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C and D are simple but effective measures to prevent and arrest osteoporosis, Consumption of calcium is very important, adults must consume about 1000-1500mg calcium every day, exercising daily is a must and one must avoid injuries that may damage the joints.