When we suffer from Arthritis it is important to know what is the exact diagnosis of our condition.
There are some medical terms that have turned into UMBRELLA DIAGNOSIS, meaning that we try to explain everything with just one word. In most instances this would lead into using medical terms for what they don’t mean, or naming medical conditions with a wrong term.
Many joint pain conditions are simply called Arthritis. Arthritis has many forms and the clinical history of each type is different from others. One way of looking at arthritis can be dividing most types of it into two main groups of OSTEOARTHRITIS and INFLAMMATORY ARTHRITIS. Osteoarthritis is the result of wear and tear over time. Some people may be more susceptible to this type of arthritis than others.
Inflammatory arthritis on the other hand is the result of inflammations in joints that start to damage and deform the joints over time. In most cases it is because of autoimmune diseases, meaning the body starts to attack its joints and damaging them in the process. In order to treat the inflammatory arthritis one must use medications that reduce joint inflammation, or reduce the over activity of immune system which is attacking the joints.
Without these proper treatments, the process of inflammation continues and damages to joints increase to the levels of joint destruction. So it is very important to have the proper diagnosis for arthritis. Special blood tests, X-Rays and scans can help doctors to properly diagnose the inflammatory arthritis. If your joints are hurting and they continues to hurt despite the usual treatments, ask your doctor to do more investigations to rule out inflammatory arthritis.
