All arthritis conditions affect the musculoskeletal system and joints which causes pain, stiffness, inflammation, and damage to the joint cartilage. The joints are protected by tissue called cartilage which ensures the ends of bones don't rub against one another.

Therefore, because of this, cartilage has the exact same needs as the other glands and organs; cartilage cells are referred to as chondrocytes. New cartilage cells or chondrocytes are replaced with new ones as they die.

However, over time inflammation can kill more cartilage cells than the body can replace. This is especially true if there has been an injury or there are not enough proper nutrients in the body to repair the joint.

Damage from this condition can also cause joint weakness, instability and deformities; all of which interrupt daily activities. The traditional treatment to arthritis demands change of one's lifestyle besides physical therapy and medication. In most cases your only option is to have a replacement surgery done to soothe the excruciating pain in the joints.

There are two main categories that arthritis can be grouped into, these categories are based on the 'generalized' or 'localized' areas of the joints or body that have been affected and then they branch off into sub-categories. When the soft tissues that cover the bones or the joints are damaged it is considered as a localized condition and is also known as bursitis or tendinitis.

A sub-category of this affects one or some of the joints like hip or knee joints. Generalized arthritis conditions involve a sub category where there is no swelling or inflammation but the muscle and soft tissue are affected. In this condition there is no evident kind of damage caused to the joints and is known as Fibromyalgia; this form of the condition is widespread among people.

The second sub category is one where there is inflammation and the whole body is affected. Rheumatoid arthritis, gout and psortiatis arthritis are examples of the next conditions in this subcategory. Other generalized conditions are polymyositis (muscles); systemic lupus erythematosus (skin, kidneys, or other organs); and vasculitis (any organ).

It is not uncommon for people to have more than one form of arthritis; there are almost 100 medical conditions which affects approximately 300,000 children and 46 million adults in the United States. Osteoarthritis is a condition mostly noticed in adults over 60 years, however, it can start at infancy too. The numbers are increasing as the American population ages and more and more people are beginning to suffer from arthritis.

America spends over 124 billion dollars every year on arthritis related problems. Individuals can help prevent osteoarthritis by following a few simple steps: Maintaining appropriate weight and consuming fresh fruits and vegetables as a good source of vitamins c and d.

Consumption of calcium is very important, adults must consume about 1000-1500mg calcium every day, exercising daily is a must and one must avoid injuries that may damage the joints.