Health Tips – Arthritis
Health Tips – Arthritis
It might surprise you to know that you have 206 bones in your body and that they’re held together by over 100 connecting joints. This intricate network of connections provides a sophisticated and sturdy framework to shape your body and protect your vulnerable inner organs. Your bones and joints also form working mechanisms that allow you to jump, run and perform hundreds of complex actions every day.
Arthritis is a disease that attacks these crucial joints and undermines their ability to function effectively. It is a disease that’s been around for thousands of years – evidence of arthritis has even been found in the mummies of ancient Egypt! Today, arthritis millions of North Americans and is even the leading cause of long-term disability in Canada.
What causes arthritis?
There are over 100 different types of arthritis, with symptoms that range from mild to crippling. Some types of arthritis cause inflammation in the lining of the joints and other internal organs. Other types of arthritis create wear and tear in the joints, causing them to weaken and break down. Depending on the type of arthritis you develop, symptoms can be limited to only a few joints or they may affect a wide range of systems in your body.
Two of the most common types of arthritic conditions are rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Each condition affects the joints in a different way, but they both are responsible for causing serious pain, disability and loss of function. Both types of arthritis will be discussed in here….rheumatoid tomorrow and osteoarthritis the day after.
