{"id":3737,"date":"2015-05-21T22:25:12","date_gmt":"2015-05-21T22:25:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/uni-vite.com\/jointshield\/?p=3737"},"modified":"2015-08-06T13:00:22","modified_gmt":"2015-08-06T13:00:22","slug":"what-is-arthritis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uni-vite.com\/jointshield\/what-is-arthritis\/","title":{"rendered":"What is arthritis?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Arthritis affects around 80% of people over 50, in some degree. It cannot as yet be cured but early diagnoses and action can significantly slow its progression and alleviate the symptoms.<\/p>\n

If you feel stiff first thing in the morning, you probably have the beginnings of arthritis.<\/p>\n

Arthritis is defined as inflammation of the joints<\/strong>. This typically occurs in the fingers, shoulders, knees, elbows, hips and spine, although almost any joint can be affected. It often results in pain, swelling, stiffness, fatigue and lack of mobility.<\/p>\n

\"\"Approximately 10 million people in the UK have arthritis and it can affect all ages \u00e2\u20ac\u201c although it usually develops in people over 50. It is more common in women than men and often starts after the menopause.<\/p>\n

There are over two hundred types of arthritis, the most common being osteoarthritis<\/strong> and rheumatoid arthritis<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Although there is no cure for arthritis as yet, there are many ways to help to slow the development of it, alleviate the symptoms and pain and improve your quality of life.<\/p>\n

See Arthritis and diet<\/u><\/a> on this site.<\/p>\n

OSTEO-ARTHRITIS<\/h3>\n

Osteoarthritis occurs when cartilage wears away and is therefore often referred to as the ‘wear and tear’ type of arthritis.<\/p>\n

In healthy joints, a protective layer of cartilage covers the end of bones. This cartilage is smooth, strong and flexible in order to absorb the stress of movement and protect the bones from damage.<\/p>\n

\"jS2\"Over time, however, the cartilage can begin to thin and become pitted, rough and brittle. Quite often, small pieces of\u00c2\u00a0additional bone (called osteophytes) can form on the joints and the bone ends begin to rub against each other.<\/p>\n

This causes pain and the amount of lubricating fluid called synovial can increase causing swelling, pain and eventually loss of movement.<\/p>\n

A joint injury in earlier life may trigger osteoarthritis in later life. There is also a form called nodal osteoarthritis that runs strongly in families.<\/p>\n

Symptoms<\/strong><\/p>\n

The most common symptoms of osteoarthritis are:<\/p>\n