Arthritis is one of the most pervasive diseases in the United States and is the leading cause of disability. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention one out of every three Americans (an estimated 70 million people) is affected by one of the more than 100 types of arthritis.
  

   
Arthritis is a chronic disease that will be with you for a long time and possibly for the rest of your life. Your treatments will probably change over time and medication may be adjusted. Having a positive mental outlook and the support of family and friends will help you live with arthritis and be able to continue to perform your daily activities.
   

 
Arthritis is a term that includes a group of disorders that affect your joints and muscles. Arthritis symptoms include joint pain, inflammation and limited movement of joints. When a joint is inflamed it may be swollen, tender, warm to the touch or red. Surrounding each joint is a protective capsule holding a lubricating fluid to aid in motion. Cartilage, a slippery smooth substance, covers most joints to assure an even, fluid motion of the joint. With joint arthritis, the cartilage may be damaged, narrowed and lost by a degenerative process or by inflammation making movement painful.
There are many different signs and symptoms of arthritis. If you have experienced pain, stiffness, or swelling around a joint for more than two weeks, you should visit your physician. Only a physician can determine if you are suffering from symptoms of arthritis. You need to find out which type you have in order to start the best course of arthritis treatment. These arthritis symptoms may come up suddenly or slowly over time and may also include sleeplessness, fatigue, depression, and muscle aches.
Many people will experience some difficulty functioning at home, at work or at play because of joint pain, stiffness and loss of motion regardless of the type of arthritis they have. Getting out of bed in the morning, buttoning buttons, writing, sewing, meal preparation, dressing, sleeping, walking, climbing stairs, arising from a chair or a toilet seat and attending to matters of personal hygiene may all be impaired to some degree by arthritis pain and joint stiffness. A lot of people find that impairment of mobility is more distressing to them than arthritis pain.
By going to the doctor immediately, you can start a treatment plan that will help protect your joints and lessen the arthritis pain. You can start to protect your joints by avoiding excess stress and perhaps by using assistive devices to help you around the house. Staying at your ideal weight will also help relieve pressure on your hips and knees. A major goal of all arthritis treatment is the preservation or improvement of daily tasks.
 

How Your Doctor Will Make a Diagnosis of Arthritis

The first visit to your doctor will be to diagnose if the pain you are feeling is from a type of arthritis or from some other disease or injury. If during the evaluation he or she determines you have arthritis, the next step is to find out which type. At this time, there are over 125 known types of arthritis ranging from mild to serious. Your doctor will do the following to answer this question:

Ask you for your medical history, a listing of your medications, and an explanation of your lifestyle.
Examine your entire body, including hands and feet.
Order and evaluate the necessary tests.

Questions You Will Need to Answer
 
In addition, your doctor will run through a series of questions to determine what type of arthritis you have. It would be helpful for you to have some information already available for your doctor to review. For example, you should tell him or her:
where you feel the pain
when it hurts
how long it has hurt
if you have seen any swelling or redness
if anyone else in your family has a type of arthritis.

You may even want to take a photograph of any redness or rashes you have, since it may disappear by the time you actually see your doctor.
Your doctor may also ask you to move the joints that are troubling you so that he or she can assess the range of motion you have. You may also be checked for joint swelling, rashes, muscle weakness and areas of tenderness.
 
Additional Tests That Help Diagnose Arthritis

After a physical examination, your doctor may order an x-ray to confirm a diagnosis and to find out the severity of the arthritis. An x-ray allows the doctor to see inside your joints to determine if there has been any destruction of cartilage. Blood tests may also be ordered to find if you have rheumatoid arthritis and not another type of arthritis, like osteoarthritis. The exact kind of tests your doctor orders depends on what type of arthritis he or she believes you have.
Since there are so many types of arthritis, it may take several visits to find out which type of arthritis you have. You may also be referred to a rheumatologist for examination. A rheumatologist is an internist who specializes in arthritis.