There are well over 100 different joint diseases identified to date which fall into 6 basic groups.
Joint disease where the synovial membrane becomes inflamed.
This is often called an inflammatory joint disorder. Here the synovial membrane becomes red, thick and swollen, causing the whole joint to become red, swollen and hot to the touch. If the disease is allowed to continue uncontrolled, the joint will eventually be destroyed. The most common example of this type of disorder is rheumatoid arthritis.
Joint disease caused by wear and tear.
This is often called degenerative disease. The cartilage covering the ends of the bone wears away, leaving bone rubbing on bone - causing the joints involved to gradually become stiff, painful and difficult to move. The most common example of this type of disorder is osteoarthritis.
Joint disease where inflammation occurs not in or around the synovial membrane but in the area where the ligament and tendons join the bones.
The most common example of this is ankylosing spondylitis, the third most common type of arthritis after rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, affecting between 1 in 200 - 1 in 400 people. Other disorders that fall into this category are: tennis elbow (where the insertion of the tendon into the bone is damaged) and housemaid's knee (where the bursa at the knee joint is damaged and swollen). These types of disease can also be called periarticular.
Joint disease where the problems are caused by the development of crystals within the joint.
The best-known example of this is gout - caused by the formation of uric acid crystals in the joint space.
Joint disease caused by an infection
Organisms such as bacteria or viruses can get into the joints and cause an inflammatory response. This can be known as reactive arthritis.
Sometimes the joint is not involved but instead the muscles that surround the joint are.
This is not a true form of arthritis - but when the muscles are inflamed or strained around a particular joint, the resulting symptoms can be very similar to arthritis of the joint itself. An example of this is fibrositis, also known as muscular rheumatism - and this can affect many parts of the body at once.
11/03/2009