As our bodies age on the outside, the inside ages as well. Parts of us become more tired and weaker over time, one of these parts are our joints. Our joints take more beatings than any other part of our body except for our skin. Eventually these joints begin to have issues where the joints become inflamed, they swell from being agitated. It is this swelling that has become known to the world as arthritis.

As of right now, there are over 100 different types of arthritis, each is designated by the type of inflammation that occurs. The disorder known as arthritis is also one of the most common of the chronic illnesses affecting people today. From a simple tear in the cartilage that acts as a cushion and bearing in our joints, to our own immune system attacking our joints like what happens in rheumatoid arthritis.

There are just as many possible causes for arthritis as there are possible variations of the disorder itself. A person may have had an injury 20 or more years earlier followed by a domino like chain of events that finally led to arthritis. Your metabolism may be abnormal; you may have a metabolism issue like gout. You could have had previous infection which led to arthritis or even inherited it genetically from another family member.

When it comes to arthritis, there are many different symptoms which may appear depending on the type of arthritis that you have. These symptoms could be as basic as pain in the joints, to full out swelling and stiffening of the joint which makes it that much harder to function on daily tasks. Some types of arthritis have symptoms like swollen glands, fevers and even weight loss and organ abnormalities.

To determine if you truly have arthritis, you have to see your doctor because only he or she can see your bones and joints. They will go over all the possible symptoms as well as schedule you for X-Rays and or even soft tissue scans if they think it is necessary. They may even suggest that you see a specialist, a doctor that is known as a rheumatologist, will have a better ability to diagnose if you have arthritis. It's their job, all they do is work with arthritis. If your doctor asks you to speak to one, then chances are, you should follow that request.

However, many of the forms of arthritis are not serious and are actually just a major annoyance. It is when complications occur that it becomes serious, but if you are just starting to suffer from arthritis, chances are you doctor will work with you to create a new daily schedule of rest and exercise as well as medications and diet. The reason for this is that if the arthritis is found earlier on in the stages, it can be stopped assuming you actually follow the doctor's suggestions.

It is always better to be safe then to be sorry, so if you think that you may have arthritis, you should most likely schedule a visit with your doctor.