Arthritis is a disease of the musculoskeletal system and the damage to the joints can be bad as time goes by, accompanied by swelling and pain. Each bone is covered with a living tissue that covers the ends of the bones and guards them from rubbing against each other; this tissue is known as the Cartilage. Therefore, because of this, cartilage has the exact same needs as the other glands and organs; cartilage cells are referred to as chondrocytes. The chondrocytes die, they are replaced with new ones and the life cycle goes on.

When there is long time inflammation, cartilage cells are destroyed and die faster than the body's ability to replace them. This is especially true if there has been an injury or there is not enough proper nutrients in the body to repair the joint. The condition causes damage where instability, deformities and joint weakness can obstruct daily life. Arthritis is normally treated with physical therapy, medication and includes changes to the person's way of life or lifestyle. If an arthritis patient does not get any relief from medication and other forms of therapies then the last option they can resort to is joint replacement.

Arthritis has two main categories which is based on the areas of the body affected, 'localized' or 'generalized'. This is further divided in to sub categories. Localized conditions are bursitis and tendonitis and they affect the soft tissues surrounding the bones and joints. A sub-category of localized arthritis affects one or some of the joints like hip or knee joints. A generalized condition is a condition where the muscles and the soft tissues get damaged, in this condition there is no swelling or any kind of inflammation on the joints. This condition does not indicate joint damage. A common type of arthritis in this category is fibromyalgia.

Another sub-category involves inflammation affecting the entire body. Rheumatoid arthritis, gout and psortiatis arthritis are examples of the next conditions in this subcategory. Some of the other generalized conditions are known to include: muscles or polymyositis, vasculitis and systemic lupus erythematosus.

Arthritis and related illnesses are the cause of major disability in the U.S. and costs over 124 billion dollars a year in medical care and indirect expenses. Maintaining the right weight, eating fresh fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C and D are simple but effective measures to prevent and arrest osteoporosis, Regular exercise and consumption of up to 1000 to 1500 mg of calcium per day for adults would help them avoid injuries caused by sports activities.

There are about a 100 medical conditions that have affected about 46 million adults and 300,000 children in the US. A person can have more than one type of arthritis. This condition can start as early as infancy, while it is most common among adults over 60, primarily in the form of osteoarthritis. As the American population ages, the number of people suffering with it is increasing.

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