By: Dr. Surbjit Herr, BSc., D.C.

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How do you know if it's arthritis or osteoarthritis in Nepean?

Arthritis is a general term that is used to describe joint inflammation which is anything that causes damage to the cartilage or joints of the body. There are different forms of arthritis such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis and
they all present differently.

How do I know which type of arthritis I have?

The various forms of arthritis have an array of varying characteristics. Different tests can be done by your doctors to help determine if you have arthritis and which type. The two main types of Arthritis are as follows:

Osteoarthritis (0A): This is more common in weight-bearing joints, like the knees, hips, and spine. This is known as "wear and tear" arthritis. OA is commonly seen in older patients over 60 but can be seen in people in their 20s as well. The symptoms of osteoarthritis develop over time and people notice some pain, soreness, swelling, and stiffness especially first thing in the morning.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): is different from OA even though they can both cause stiffness swelling and joint pain. With RA, there is inflammation that is symmetrical meaning it affects both sides of the body, so both knees wrists or joints are affected. This is more commonly seen in the wrist and hands and you may see some deformities. RA occurs when your immune system starts to attack the joints. This causes inflammation and damage to the joints.

What steps can one take to prevent joint damage?

There is always going to be small degree of wear and tear on the body and its' joints. But there are many things that can be done to help maintain joints and your mobility. To be honest with you, maintaining your joint health is no different than maintaining your overall health.

You need to ensure that you are putting healthy habits into your health bank account. Make sure you are moving by doing some joint mobility. Check out our video to show you some simple and effective exercises to help. Here's the video