Misconceptions About Arthritis
Arthritis is an uncomfortable condition, there’s no doubt about it. It’s also a mysterious disease, one that takes hundreds of forms, hits at unpredictable times, and attacks your body in a variety of ways.
Before you can restore some joint comfort and function, you need to know exactly how arthritis acts and reacts in your body. Whether chronic inflammation or cartilage disintegration is your main problem, the first point to remember is that there is plenty you can do to help your body withstand the effects of arthritis. Once you dispel these misconceptions about arthritis, you can get on track to better treatment.
1. Only the Elderly Develop Arthritis
This is perhaps the most common misconception about arthritis. While it’s true that most osteoarthritis (OA) patients are over 60, there are other types of arthritis that tend to target younger bodies.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) often appears closer to age 40, but could certainly show up earlier in life. Juvenile arthritis, as its name suggests, is a term used to describe the range of autoimmune and inflammatory conditions in the joints that affect children younger than 16. However, even OA can strike decades earlier than you might expect, if joints have suffered a lot of strain.
While gout vs. septic arthritis can present with similar symptoms, there are key differences between these types of arthritis. Learn more here.
