Page 5 - E-Book-Arthritis
P. 5
TWO
Identification
“What is arthritis?”
Arthritis is a commonly misinterpreted complaint and not very well understood. Arthritis doesn’t refer to
one particular condition, rather a collective of a large number of similar conditions that affect the joint
and surrounding connective tissue. Arthritis is categorised as a rheumatic disease is believed there are
over 100 variations of arthritis!
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“Who gets arthritis?”
Typically with arthritis, there is a wide range of ages that are susceptible to arthritis. Typically it is
believed that adults aged over 65 are more at risk of developing arthritis however arthritis can affect
children with conditions such as j uvenile idiopathic arthritis.
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“How does arthritis feel?”
There are a variety of sensations linked to arthritis depending on which you are suffering from. Common
sensations include; joint pain, burning sensation, heat and redness, stiffness in the joints, itchy skin and in
some particular cases low energy and difficulty breathing. Naturally, with joint stiffness comes a
restriction in range of movement and as described later in this ebook you can potentially distinguish
between OA and RA by the softness or hardness of the swelling around the joints.
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