Arthritis is known for being one of the most pervasive diseases in North American and is the leading cause of disability. The term is actually an umbrella term that includes almost a hundred different diseases, all forms of arthritis.

Arthritis is a chronic disease that will be with you for a long time once it has developed, and probably even stay with you for the rest of your life.

If you think that you may have an arthritic problem, the first thing you are going to need to do is determine just what kind you have. Rheumatoid arthritis is by far one of the most common types of arthritis that people suffer from, and is the most common serious inflammatory form. It affects roughly 1 percent of the population ad is the prototypical autoimmune form of arthritis.

There is also osteoarthritis which is the type that people think of as being associated with aging. It affects the weight-bearing areas in the body such as the spine, hips, knees, base of the thumbs and feet, and genetics and mechanical factors also play a big role here.

Finding Relief

If you have arthritis you are definitely going to want to find relief of your symptoms, you are of course going to want to learn how to find relief and start living normally once again. This means finding arthritis pain relief and there are some terrific products and treatments that have been released.

Keep in mind that you basically have two options when it comes to treatment of your arthritis: pharmaceutical drugs and alternative or natural treatments. It really all depends on your personal preference, however you may want to discuss this with your doctor as well because if your arthritis symptoms are particularly severe the natural products may not offer you enough relief and so you may have no choice but to use the prescribed medication, at least until you have your arthritis under control.

If you ever begin experiencing joint pain or inflammation, it is important that you speak to your doctor and have them perform a full examination. They will be able to do a few routine tests, check to see whether you do in fact have arthritis and if so what type you are dealing with. They will then work together with you to figure out what the best treatment is going to be, and make sure that you are making the proper improvement.