Arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions are a major cause of pain and disability, affecting around 6.1 million Australian and placing a high economic and personal burden on the community. However, effective treatment and management can reduce the effects of these conditions.

There are more than 100 forms of arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions, each having different effects and requiring different treatments.

Types of Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a form of chronic arthritis. This disease affects chiefly young adults, mainly women, and one or many joints may be involved; it also occurs in children (Still's Disease). It is generalized affection of joints, and their synovial membranes, cartilages, capsules and the muscles supplying them; but other connective tissues elsewhere in the body might also be affected. Rheumatoid arthritis is now a major cause of crippling in European countries, but it is not common in the tropics.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis. Also called degenerative joint disease, this is the most common type of arthritis, which occurs most often in older people. This disease affects cartilage, the tissue that cushions and protects the ends of bones in a joint. With osteoarthritis, the cartilage starts to wear away over time. In extreme cases, the cartilage can completely wear away, leaving nothing to protect the bones in a joint, causing bone-on-bone contact. Bones may also bulge, or stick out at the end of a joint, called a bone spur.

Tendinitis

Tendinitis is a type of arthritis that involves the inflammation of a tendon. A tendon is a rope-like body part that adheres muscles to bones. The pain from tendinitis is not directly in the joint itself, but close to the joint. Common areas prone to tendinitis are the knees, elbows and shoulders. Jumper's knee, tennis elbow and swimmer's shoulder are some of the common terms used for tendonitis

Fibromyalgia

(FM) is characterized by pain, stiffness, and tenderness in the joints, muscles, and tendons. These symptoms are accompanied by sleep problems, fatigue, and anxiety. Patients suffer generalized aching and pain and have multiple tender points (areas of localized pain when pressure is applied) located in the neck, spine, shoulders, hips, and knees. A diagnosis of FM is made when pain has persisted for longer than three months and the patient has pain in 11 of the 18 specific tender point areas.

Juvenile rhuematoid arthritis

Juvenile rhuematoid arthritis is a chronic condition that causes inflammation in one or more joints and begins before the age of 16. It is the most common type of arthritis in children. Symptoms include pain, stiffness, swelling, and loss of function in the joints. The arthritis may be associated with rashes or fevers, and it may affect other parts of the body