When we mention arthritis, for most of the time we’re referring to osteoarthritis. And that’s fair enough because after all it is the most common form. But in fact there are over 200 different kinds of arthritis so in this segment we’re going  look at actually what causes arthritis and what it feels like inside the body of somebody who suffers from arthritis.

What causes arthritis?

Bad weather does not cause arthritis. But it can certainly make the symptoms feel a lot worse. When cold damp weather are on their way – that’s when you’re more likely to have aches and pains in your joints if you have osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is mainly due to wear and tear of the joints – the bone ends rubbing together. Some kinds of arthritis are due to inflammation in and around the joint. Rheumatoid Arthritis is a typical example of this but there’s also Ankylosing spondylitis which is a kind of inflammatory arthritis. Then there are chemical kinds of arthritis like gout which is due to crystals inside the joint space.  

Of all the kinds of arthritis you can get the most common is osteoarthritis or osteoarthrosis. 

What happens inside the joint?

This is a model of a knee joint, it’s model of a right knee joint, and these bits here are cartilage. What happens in osteoarthritis is that these get worn away so that instead of having this lovely cartilage which normally cushions the joint they wear away and you get bone rubbing along bone every time you that you’d use the knee joint. 

You can get osteoarthritis in almost every joint in the body. A lot of people, especially women, get it in the small joints in their hands but you can also get it in the knees, in the hips in any other joint and it doesn’t have to be symmetrical. You can get it, for instance, in one hip rather than the other. The other hip can be absolutely fine. 

Paul: Any of us who live long enough are quite likely to suffer from arthritis. But if you do think that you’re developing some sort of problem in the joints particularly pain and stiffness then discuss this with your doctor. After all, there are over 200 different sorts of arthritis and only when you and your doctor have arrived at the correct diagnosis can you then be sure to move on to appropriate treatment. 

Thanks for watching.