Joint Pain

Archeologists studying ancient Egyptian mummies are sure of at least one thing: when these people were alive, their joints ached when they woke in the morning. Arthritis has been a scourge of humans since ancient times when natural methods of seeking relief were employed from the debilitating disease that is estimated to afflict over 40 million Americans, and whose treatment (mostly anti-inflammatory drugs more commonly known as NSAIDs) is frequently worse than the disease.

Joint Pain isn't Fun! -- The Different Types:

Arthritis is a general term, which refers to inflammation of one or more of the joints in the body, with the most common cause relating to injury. Because there are many different causes of inflammation, there are many different kinds of arthritis. Physicians have identified at least 100 kinds of arthritis, of which the most common are:

Osteoarthritis (OA) This mostly affects cartilage -- the tissue that cushions the ends of bones within the joint. Osteoarthritis occurs when cartilage begins to fray, wear, and decay. In some cases, all of the cartilage may wear away between the bones of the joint, leaving bones that rub against each other. Symptoms can range from stiffness and mild pain that of which generally leads to severe joint pain if left untreated.

Osteoarthritis is seen most frequently in the joints that are most used and abused. For instance, tailors tend to develop it in their hands and fingers. It also affects large weight-bearing joints of the body, such as knees and hips.

It is often called the disease of "aging," although it is not per se caused by the ageing process. Nonetheless, by the age of 30, 35% of people begin to show some signs of osteoarthritic changes in their knees, and by ages 70 to 79, at least 85% of people have diagnosable osteoarthritis.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory disease that causes joint pain, swelling, stiffness, and loss of function in the joints. People with Rheumatoid Arthritis often have a wide range of other symptoms such as feeling tired, running a fever, or generally not feeling well.

Rheumatoid arthritis is usually seen in the peripheral joints (especially the hands, elbows, knees, and even the feet sometimes), and because it is a systemic problem, the distribution is usually symmetrical. If you have it on your right side, you usually have it on the left side, too, in the same joints. Rheumatoid arthritis affects approximately three times more women than men, and most often appears between the ages of 35 and 50.

Gout is one of the most painful rheumatic diseases. It is caused by deposits of needle-like crystals of uric acid in the connective tissue, joint spaces, or both. These deposits lead to inflammatory arthritis, which causes swelling, redness, heat, pain, and stiffness in the joints. Gout affects the toes, ankles, elbows, wrists, and hands. Swelling may cause the skin to pull tightly around the joint and make the area red or purple and very tender. Medicines can stop gout attacks and prevent further attacks and joint damage.

Note: While of huge benefit for those who have osteoarthritis, glucosamine will offer little help for sufferers of gout or lupus. Glucosamine will help rheumatoid arthritis patients, but only if they also have minor or severe osteoarthritis.

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