All arthritis conditions affect the musculoskeletal system and joints, which causes pain, stiffness, inflammation, and damage to the joint cartilage. Cartilage is the living tissue that covers the ends of the bones that protect them as they rub together. The cells or chondrocytes which cartilage is made up of are similar to the ones in the other glands in the human body. The cartilage cells that are the chondrocytes are usually replaced by new cells when the old ones die.

However, over time inflammation can kill more cartilage cells than the body can replace. This is more so if the body is undernourished and lacks the required nutrients to repair or the joint has suffered an injury. Damage from this condition can also cause joint weakness, instability and deformities; all of which interrupt daily activities. Generally, arthritis can be treated with physical therapy, medication, and changes to the lifestyle the individual is used to living. One method of treating joint problems is invasive joint replacement therapy and is only resorted to after all other treatments have failed.

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 tendonitis. It could just be that the localized conditions could manifest themselves in just one of two joints being affected. Generalized Arthritis Conditions: The first sub-category for generalized conditions is for those that affect the muscle and soft tissue where there is no evidence of swelling or inflammation. Fibromyalgia, even though it isn't associated with joint damage, is a very common form which can be placed under this particular category.

In the second sub-group is a condition in which the person suffering from this condition may have swelling on the whole body. Under this category, rheumatoid arthritis would be an example of a condition you would see, along with psoriatic arthritis and gout. The other kinds of this condition are vasculitis (any organ); polymyositis (muscles); and systemic lupus erythematosus (skin, kidneys, or other organs).

However a person may suffer from multiple kinds of arthritis, in the United States of America around forty six million adults and abut three hundred thousand children suffer from hundred medical conditions. Arthritis may affect people in infancy and its effects are more prominent in adulthood and are most common in the form of osteoarthritis. The number of sufferers is on the increase at the same pace as the population of America.

124 billion dollars a year are spent annually on medical care and other expenses connected to arthritis and related infirmities, making it a foremost cause for disability. Maintaining the right weight, eating fresh fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C and D are simple but effective measures to prevent and arrest osteoporosis, 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.