Arthritis is a condition which affects people all over the world. It is common knowledge that Arthritis is a problem affecting the day to day activities of a large population in Bangalore.
Arthritis means inflammation of joints. It is a group of conditions where there is damage caused to the joints of the body.

There are many different forms of arthritis, each of which has a different cause. The most common forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis (also known as degenerative joint disease) which can be due to aging process, injury or abnormal anatomy of joint, few other forms of arthritis are rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis which are autoimmune diseases in which the body is attacking itself. Septic arthritis is caused by joint infection. Gouty arthritis is caused by deposition of uric acid crystals in the joint.

All arthritis feature pain. Patterns of pain and the location differ among different arthritis. Osteoarthritis is worse following rest. Rheumatoid arthritis is generally worse in the morning. In elderly people and children along with pain, patient simply moves less (elderly) or refuses to use the affected limb (children).

Treatment options vary depending on the type of arthritis.
Physical and occupational therapy, lifestyle changes like exercise and weight control.
Medications  can be symptomatic or targeted at the disease process.
Joint Replacement Surgery may be required in severe forms of arthritis.

Joint Replacement involves shaving off the worn out edges and replacing the edges with metal (the metal is a cobalt alloy or Titanium) and plastic (Ultra high molecular weight polyethylene), recently metal on metal and ceramic implants are also available.
These recent advances in medicine has helped a vast majority of people with crippling disabilities due to arthritis lead a normal life.

The author is a consultant orthopaedic surgeon at the Columbia Asia Hospital, Hebbal and can be contacted at 9980125704