Arthritis is a common medical condition, and a term people often associate with getting old. It is simply defined as ‘inflammation of the joint’, and while it does commonly affect people more as they age it can also affect younger people.

Any bony joint in the body can be affected by arthritis and its impact can range from minor pain and stiffness to severe pain. Other common symptoms can include:

• Difficulty moving the joint
• Weakness of the joint and surrounding muscles
• A severe decrease in function and ability of the person

There are many forms of arthritis, with osteoarthritis being the most common. Osteoarthritis more often affects people as they age. It results in a narrowing of the joint space, additional bony growths (spurs), damage to the cartilage (protective tissue between the joints) and can damage the tendons and ligaments around the joints.

There are some things that make you more at risk of getting osteoarthritis. These include being overweight, having a family history of arthritis, having a previous injury to the joint, and having a job that involves heavy lifting and repetitive movements.

Your doctor will typically assess your symptoms, examine your joints and use x-ray imaging to diagnose arthritis. Whilst arthritis cannot be reversed, your doctor can advise you on the options to help slow the progress down, improve function and control the pain, and your doctor can give you advice in this.

The important message is that if you have pain or stiffness in any joints that is not getting better quickly and is not related to a recent injury, you should see your doctor promptly to discuss what might be causing this and how it can be treated.

This article has been written by Dr Elyne Fontana