The worst cases of Arthritis are very common and very painful condition. Arthritis pain can make working and even basic living tremendously difficult. In order for medical treatment to prove effective in combating the arthritic symptoms and to allow the sufferer to live as normal a life as possible, it is essential to correctly diagnose which type of arthritis the patient has. The two most common cases of arthritis, the osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, are very different in character and require completely different methods of diagnosis, as well as very different methods of treatment.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory painful condition that mostly affects as many as one in every hundred people. It is caused by the disorder in the defense systems of the body and nobody has yet been able to discover why this actually happens. The genes that are often said to be the responsible part for the problem but the exact means by which the inflammation occurs remains unknown. The inflammatory disorder is not hereditary, no increased risk has been found if people have a sufferer in their immediate family. In rheumatoid arthritic condition extra flow of blood causes joints to become swollen and painful and in extreme cases can even permanently damage the joint. It is very important to go for medical help to reduce the inflammation, as the damage to joints is permanent and irreversible.

Osteoarthritis is a completely different arthritic condition, which badly affects the bones. Unlike the condition of rheumatoid arthritis, there appears to be no genetic factor involved with osteoarthritis, although there are several factors that increase the risk of the arthritic condition developing. Osteoarthritis inflammation is rare in young people, suggesting that in certain cases it is wear on the bones that causes the disease to develop. People with excess body weight are far more susceptible to the condition, especially with the knee joints, which suggests that excess strain put on a moving joint area will be a major factor in bringing on the osteoarthritis problem. Stiff joints are said to be the main symptom of osteoarthritis.

Some of the painful conditions such as ankylosing spondylitis; affect more men than women, which is in direct contrast to the two major arthritic types, where far more women are affected. Another very unusual type of arthritic inflammation is Systemic lupus erythematosus, which is found in nine times the number of women than it is in men. Gout is also considered to be the most common form of arthritis, which is usually thought of as a completely different condition. This extremely painful disorder is caused by the increased level of uric acid and is at least controllable with correct treatment. Sometimes the problem of arthritis can be a purely reactive condition caused by another kind of medical condition, where the symptoms of arthritis will usually disappear of their own accord, always provided that no permanent damage has occurred. As arthritic conditions occur in so many diverse forms, it is essential to get a correct form of diagnosis before attempting to treat the condition. In advanced medical centers various modern tests may be available and specialists in the condition on hand to advice.