What Is Arthritis?

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Arthritis: Conquering the Pain and Reclaiming Movement

Arthritis affects a surprisingly large number of Americans. A 2005 survey showed that more than 20 percent of adults reported having cases of arthritis, with a significant percentage claiming that the condition was serious enough to limit their activity. Increasing your understanding of arthritis—including how to treat and manage it—can be instrumental in reducing long-term joint damage and pain. In this guide we'll direct you to sites with all the resources you need to understand this extremely prevalent condition.

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What Is Arthritis?

Arthritis is an umbrella term that refers to more than 100 conditions affecting the musculoskeletal system; in particular, those causing inflammation, stiffness, pain, or swelling of the joints. There's great variation in the severity and scope of the conditions classified as arthritis, as some affect only the joints, and others are systemic and have serious effects on other systems within the body. Injury, abnormal metabolism, genetics, aging, and infection are cited as leading causes of arthritis, depending on the type. Follow the links in this section to sites with overviews of arthritis, as well as specific information on the disease in children and seniors.

Dulcinea's Insight

Medical dictionaries provide brief overviews of arthritis, generally within the space of one paragraph. Medical encyclopedias bring a slightly deeper degree of specificity by introducing the symptoms, causes, and treatments of arthritis, often in a bulleted format. Overviews from consumer health sites are designed to provide comprehensive introductions to diseases and conditions, and represent the most specific type of overview. Each of these resources can be found in the Picks.

Dulcinea's Picks

For a dictionary definition ...

MedicineNet.com includes a “MedTerms Dictionary” that has a definition of arthritis with links to definitions for a handful of the 100+ diseases classified as arthritis. The site’s "Arthritis Center" features an expanded discussion of arthritis, and an arthritis glossary, which will be useful to reference as you begin your research.

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For encyclopedia entries ...

NHS Direct's encyclopedia article on arthritis covers all the basic issues relating to the disease, including symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment, complications, and prevention. Descriptions of two primary forms of the disease—rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis—are on the homepage.

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MedlinePlus offers this "Medical Encyclopedia" with extraordinarily succinct and usable entries addressing topics ranging from symptoms to prevention. Definitions of related terms (like the different types of arthritis) are hyperlinked in the text.

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For overviews ...

WebMD provides this osteoarthritis page with lots of information. The table of contents, which lists all the osteoarthritis-related articles in the WebMD database, is arranged into categories such as "Overview and Facts" and "Symptoms and Types." You’ll find that having many shorter articles on specific issues is a helpful way to expand on the topic.

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The American Physical Therapy Association provides an overview of arthritis that approaches the condition from a distinctly physical-therapy perspective. It begins with a discussion of how joints work, covers all the major varieties of arthritis, and then explains how physical therapy can aid in the recovery process.

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The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeon presents this overview, which includes has a diagram of an arthritic hip that shows the effects upon the cartilage of the leg bone and the acetabulum of the hip, along with several other diagrams and photos that help to illustrate the causes of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hosts an Arthritis Program that covers the efforts that the U.S. government has taken to "measure the burden of arthritis," "strengthen the science base," "increase awareness," and "build state arthritis programs." The “National Arthritis Action Plan” can be accessed as a PDF file; read it to learn what the government is doing to improve the lives of those living with arthritis.

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For children ...

The American College of Rheumatology describes the incidence of arthritis in children and provides an introduction to juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), the most common form of arthritis in children. Designed to educate parents about their child's disease, the article offers advice on coping in a section called, "Children living with arthritis." It also has useful resources for locating a rheumatologist.

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WebMD publishes this article, which focuses on the most prominent form of childhood arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). Information on the disease is presented through 19 questions, organized into the following categories: "Learning about juvenile rheumatoid arthritis," "Being diagnosed," "Getting treatment," "Ongoing concerns," and "Living with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis."

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For seniors ...

National Institutes of Health hosts this Senior Health site with arthritis information for elderly sufferers. The most extensive of this site's sections is the "Frequently Asked Questions" page.

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The National Institute on Aging has a text-heavy arthritis information page, available also as a PDF download. The title of the article is "Arthritis Advice" and it takes a distinctly advisory, layman's approach to communicating the material; which is a pleasure, considering the alternative.

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