According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), over 46 million adults suffer from arthritis, and almost 19 million adults have to curtail their activities due to arthritis. The CDC projects that, by the year 2030, 67 million adults will have arthritis and 25 million will limit their activities because of the condition.

Conditions and Causes

The two most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease characterized by joint pain, and comes about as the result of and injury to or infection in the joint, or the aging process. Essentially, joint pain is caused by inflammation that arises when the cartilage that cushions the joints lessens.

In contrast to osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition that causes the immune system to attack and inflame the joints. Whereas osteoarthritis can be limited to a single, injured joint, or to a pair of joints (such as the knees or hips) in instances where the cartilage is worn out, rheumatoid arthritis usually affects multiple joints and can generally affects people at a much younger age.

Arthritis Pain and Symptoms

For people with osteoarthritis, arthritis pain typically increases over the course of the day, as the affected joints are used or overused. On the other hand, people with rheumatoid arthritis typically experience the most arthritis pain in the morning (or after waking), with the pain lessening throughout the day.

According to the Arthritis Foundation, rheumatoid arthritis can be characterized by three stages, and over time progresses from one to the other: swelling, growth of cells, and the production of enzymes that can digest cartilage and bone.

Arthritis pain typically worsens over time for both those suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and those with osteoarthritis. According to the CDC, 40 percent of adults with arthritis report that at least one out of nine daily functional activities is difficult or impossible to do. These activities include bending, standing, walking, carrying, and grasping. Studies have repeatedly proven that those with arthritis have a poorer quality of life and suffer both a physical and emotional toll from the condition.

Arthritis Treatment

Arthritis treatment can range from using topical creams to over-the-counter analgesics to prescription drugs to joint replacement surgery. To improve the quality of life and decrease the incidence of debilitating pain, the most effective treatments focus on arthritis pain relief. Many peer-reviewed medical journals have documented the efficacy of a topical treatment that works by penetrating the sub-epidermal level of the skin, thereby blocking out pain transmitters and starting localized healing.

This topical lotion for arthritis pain relief is especially effective in reducing joint pain in the knees, hands, and lower back. It is also effective as a preventative measure for muscle pain and cramping before and after physical workouts, and can reduce the pain of tennis elbow, carpal tunnel syndrome, bursitis, and menstrual cramps.