What is Arthritis?

Arthritis is actually made up of two Latin Words, Arthr and itis. Arthr is used to refer to joints and itis refers to inflammation. So, Arthritis quite literally means Joint Inflammation.

Arthritis is not only a single type of disease, but actually refers to a number of different types of joint and muscle disorders. While there are more than 100 different types of arthritis, only about 10% of these are very common. This means that a few different types of arthritis actually account for the majority of diagnosed instances of arthritis.

Some types of Arthritis are very hard for even a doctor with a medical office to diagnose, so it is important to avoid self diagnosing and treating arthritis and instead, an individual who is at an increased risk of developing arthritis, such as seniors or those who have experienced joint injuries, should regularly visit their doctor.

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