As mere mortals, almost all of us experience ailments or challenges that afflict our minds.

Each of these ailments are accompanied by various symptoms - some very low key, others with increasing pain. Initial evidences of arthritis in its various forms are unfortunately in the latter category.

When a patient is diagnosed with arthritis, it’s important to know what kind of arthritis type it is and, of course, their doctor should tell them. Typically, there are three common forms of the degenerative disease. To learn more about each keep reading.

Osteoarthritis

This is the best known form of the disease, resulting in the degeneration of the joints. Elderly people generally experience this most. Despite the generality, osteoarthritis can surface much earlier in a person’s life, possibly caused by an injury, hereditary or congenital disorder, metabolic disorder, or trauma.

Osteoarthritis attacks the smooth cartilage on the bone ends. After it’s worn away, new born forms, causing an overgrowth along with intense pain when the dry and exposed joints move and grate together. The disease is not usually associated with inflammation.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

When assessing rheumatoid arthritis, the body joints are essentially attacked by the immune system just like it were an external foe. This response of the auto-immune system is something of a chain reaction since there is an inflammation of the synovial joints - shifting fingers and thumbs apart - ligaments are weakened from the swelling, and alignment of muscles are damaged.

Disability or even deformity can be the consequence. Opening a bottle or can, grabbing a pencil to write, or shaking the hand of another person can become seemingly an insurmountable chore necessitating that both hands be utilized. This arthritis can worsen over time or possibly remain dormant for a number of years before degenerating.

The disease is often diagnosed in 5 stages. Stage 1 has no visible or apparent symptoms other than those that can be detected through lab analysis. Stage 2 is accompanied by small amount of stiffness (usually in the mornings) and some swelling.

Stage 3 sees increased swelling and decreased mobility. This is the stage where drug treatments are usually introduced. Stage 4 experiences the disease spreading to the cartilage and joints. A stage 5 diagnosis means the damage caused by the rheumatoid arthritis is often irreparable.

A diagnostic conclusion of rheumatoid arthritis is typically founded on the existence of the following symptoms for a period longer than six weeks - stiffness of the joints after awakening, swelling in finger or joints of the wrists, soft tissue swelling around joints and swelling on each side of a joint.

Spondyloarthropathies

The term spondyloarthropathies actually refers to a number of arthritic disorders that affect the spine. Though it’s the third most common form of arthritis, it’s actually a blanket term to cover conditions such as psoriatic arthritis, intestinal arthropathy, reactive anthropathy, Reiter’s syndrome and more.

If you suspect you have arthritis, knowing the arthritis type of disease is critical to understanding your treatment. And remember, early diagnosis is critical, so see a doctor.