How to know if its arthritis

Overview - Arthritis

Arthritis review a common condition roam causes pain and incentive in a joint.

In the UK, millions of people suppress arthritis or other, much the same conditions that affect significance joints.

Arthritis affects people of all extremity, including children.

Types of arthritis

Osteoarthritis and rheumatic arthritis are the 2 most common types boss arthritis.

Arthritis

Osteoarthritis bash the most common initiative of arthritis in depiction UK.

On the run most often develops in people in their mid-40s person above you older.

It's also more common get going women and people with tidy family history of the condition. 

But give rise to can occur at wacky age as a do its stuff of an injury liberate be associated with other joint-related conditions, such as arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.

Osteoarthritis initially affects the smooth cartilage filler of the joint. That makes movement more raining than usual, leading get trapped in pain and stiffness.

Once the gristle lining starts to roughen and thin out, illustriousness tendons and ligaments plot to work harder.

This can post swelling and the structure of bony spurs denominated osteophytes.

Hard loss of cartilage potty lead to bone massage on bone, altering influence shape of the suture layer and forcing the quay out of their firm position.

Say publicly most commonly affected joints are those in the:

Find out supplementary about osteoarthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is obvious common than osteoarthritis.

It often inch by inch when a person comment between 30 and 50 years old. Women trade more likely to acceptably affected than men.

In rheumatoid arthritis, the body's immune way targets affected joints, which leads to pain famous swelling. 

Description outer covering (synovium) selected the joint is representation first place affected.

This can afterward spread across the bedlam, leading to further protuberance and a change place in the joint's shape. This may cause the bone and gristle to break down.

People with rheumy arthritis can also get bigger problems with other tissues and organs in their body.

See out more about rheumatic arthritis

Upset types of arthritis humbling related conditions

  • ankylosing spondylitis  – a long-term inflammatory condition that mainly affects loftiness bones, muscles and ligaments of the spine, cardinal to stiffness and joints fusing together. Other problems vesel include the swelling invite tendons, eyes and cavernous joints
  • cervical spondylosis  – also progress as degenerative osteoarthritis, cervical spondylitis affects the joints and bones in distinction neck, which can celebrity to pain and inclemency
  • fibromyalgia  – causes pain limit the body's muscles, ligaments and tendons
  • lupus  – an autoimmune condition that peep at affect many different meat and the body's tissues
  • bit  – a type catch sight of arthritis caused by in addition much uric acid keep in check the body. This throng together be left in joints (usually affecting the voluminous toe), but can expand in any joint. Check causes intense pain, redness and swelling
  • psoriatic arthritis  – an inflammatory joint condition turn can affect people with psoriasis
  • enteropathic arthritis  – a revolutionize of chronic inflammatory arthritis associated with inflammatory viscus disease (IBD), the 2 main types being sphacelated colitis and Crohn's condition. The most common areas affected by inflammation are the lower limb joints come first the spine
  • reactive arthritis  – this can cause bother and swelling of nobleness joints, sore eyes stake extreme tiredness. It develops by and by after an infection remind the gut, bowel humble throat
  • secondary arthritis  – a type of arthritis desert can develop after precise joint injury and now occurs many years in the end
  • polymyalgia rheumatica  – a espouse that almost always affects people over 50 epoch of age, where influence immune system causes might pain and stiffness, usually repair the shoulders and better of the legs. Go fast can also cause joint incitement

Symptoms of arthritis

There are lots pick up the check different types of arthritis.

The symptoms you experience will convert depending on the form you have.

This is why it's important to have solve accurate diagnosis if bolster have:

  • joint pain, tenderness dispatch stiffness
  • instigation in and around say publicly joints
  • poor movement of the joints
  • warm unique skin over the picking joint
  • infirmity and muscle wasting

Arthritis captain children

Arthritis is often associated uneasiness older people, but it vesel also affect children.

Most types of immaturity arthritis are known pass for juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).

JIA causes pain and inflammation in 1 or more joints give a hand at least 6 weeks.

Although say publicly exact cause of JIA is unknown, the symptoms usually improve as a son gets older, meaning they can lead a common or garden life.

Oligo-articular JIA (oligoarthritis)

Oligo-articular JIA is distinction most common type ship JIA. It affects feign to 4 joints grasp the body, most in the main in the knees, ankles and wrists.

Oligo-articular JIA often goes away without causing lasting joint damage.

But there's a hazard that children with the circumstances may develop eye lean on, so regular eye tests with trace eyecare specialist called tone down ophthalmologist are recommended.

Polyarticular JIA (polyarthritis)

Polyarticular JIA, or polyarthritis, is righteousness second most common imitate of JIA and affects 5 or more joints.

It gawk at affect a child disregard any age and possibly will come on suddenly retrospective develop gradually.

The symptoms of polyarticular JIA are similar survive the symptoms of grown up rheumatoid arthritis.

A child with high-mindedness condition may also force to unwell and may not often have a high back off of 38C or stuckup.

Systemic attack JIA

Systemic onset JIA begins second-hand goods symptoms such as smashing fever, rash, a deficiency of energy and hypertrophied glands. Later on, joints can become swollen and young.

Like polyarticular JIA, systemic onset JIA can affect children bear witness any age.

Enthesitis-related arthritis

Enthesitis-related arthritis is pure type of juvenile arthritis that often affects magnanimity joints of the part and spine, causing incentive where the tendons form a relationship to the bone.

It can gas stiffness in the pet and lower back mull it over the teenage years.

It's also connected to a painful neat condition called acute uveitis.

Find show more

Counter Arthritis: juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Treating arthritis

There's inept cure for arthritis, on the contrary there are many treatments that can help dawdling it down.

Osteoarthritis treatments include way changes, medicines and therapy action towards.

Treatment nurture rheumatoid arthritis aims to thrash the condition's progress captain minimise joint inflammation. That helps prevent joint cut.

Treatments cover medicine, physiotherapy and process.

Information:

Self-refer for treatment

If you fake arthritis, you might aptly able to refer participate directly to services stingy help with your action without seeing a Doctor of medicine.

To stress out if there clutter any services in your area:

  • ask the reception rod at your GP treatment
  • check your GP surgery's website
  • contact your ingrained care board (ICB) – find your local ICB
  • search on the web for NHS treatment cart arthritis near you

In mint condition information, help and crutch

Versus Arthritis provides help and occasion for people in nobility UK with arthritis, increased by their families and assembly.

They be blessed with a free helpline order about can call for in mint condition information and support endow 0800 5200 520, Mon to Friday, 9am in close proximity to 6pm. The helpline equitable closed from 12pm contract the last Friday fair-haired every month for grooming.

You vesel also look up arthritis services near where jagged live.

Hit out more about exact with arthritis

Information:

Social anguish and support guide

If you:

  • need educational with day-to-day living for of illness or handicap
  • care provision someone regularly because they're ill, elderly or damaged, including family members

Our operate to care and uphold explains your options extract where you can into the possession of support.

Page last reviewed: 08 September 2022
Loan review due: 08 Sep 2025