One of the first symptoms of arthritis is pain and stiffness- especially in the morning and after exercise. There are several different types of arthritis. In this article, the two most common types will be explained- osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Osteoarthritis is the deterioration of the cartilage that protects the ends of bones. It can be caused by injury, but most often, it is due to wear and tear from ageing, diet and lifestyle. Osteoarthritis is sometimes called degenerative arthritis. The joints most commonly affected are the weight bearing joints, hips, knees and back. It also frequently occurs in the joints of the hand and knuckles. This type of arthritis rarely occurs before age 40, and affects nearly everyone over 60 years.

Rheumatoid arthritis ? this can happen at any time of your life, even childhood. It's a defect in the immune system that causes this kind of affliction, and is a result of your body's defences attacking the synovial membrane by wrongly identifying it as a foreign object within your body. When this happens, your joints swell and cause cartilage damage as well as tissue damage around the joint itself. It can also be caused by a poor diet, stress or even be hereditary.

Once a diagnosis is confirmed, a wide variety of treatment options are available to slow the progression and maintain mobility. Arthritis has been around since the beginning of time, and there is ongoing research being done to find a cure. The Arthritis Society funds and tracks ongoing research trials, as well as the latest breakthroughs on the medical front. They publish these latest finding on their website, as well as in their newsletter. If you have arthritis, you might want to research their website.

If you are diagnosed with arthritis, the good news is that there are various methods of treatment available to both reduce the spread of the affliction, and help you keep mobile whilst being treated. If you're unsure about any of the treatment that is available, as well as discussing with your GP you may also wish to look at the website of The Arthritis Society, as it's an excellent guide and can help explain many medical terms in easy to understand dialect.

Some foods naturally fight inflammation. Tart red cherries can relieve pain and inflammation. You will need to eat about 20 each day. Fresh pineapple is also excellent at reducing inflammation. You might want to consider adding asparagus, eggs, garlic and onions to your diet. These foods help your body repair and rebuild bone and cartilage. Other beneficial foods include leafy green vegetables, non-acidic fresh fruits, oatmeal, brown rice and fish.

Since allergies can also exacerbate the effects of arthritis, check if there are any foods that you have an allergic reaction to. This has been proven to alleviate the suffering of neck and back pain arthritic sufferers especially.

Exercise often as well. Even a relaxing form of exercise such as swimming or taking a walk has shown to ease the pain experienced and helped to slow the wasting away of the joints affected. If you're engaging in any more hardy tasks, make sure you have a good rest period in-between, to ease the pressure on the joints themselves.