Arthritis simply means ‘inflammation of a joint’. It is a condition that can affect people of any age, but it is more common as you get older. Any joint can suffer from arthritis but some of the common ones include your knee, hip and spine, along with fingers and toes.
Arthritis typically shows as pain and stiffness in the joints, but there are things you can do to manage the condition:
- Weight management – reducing the amount of weight going through joints such as the knees and hips will help to protect them
- Exercise – helps with weight management and to keep the body functioning properly
- Medication – arthritis medications can be taken to help with inflammation
- Rest – limiting the activities that aggravate arthritis can help to lessen the symptoms.
For more information on arthritis, you can check out the Arthritis NZ website here.
There are three common forms of arthritis which you may have heard of – osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gout arthritis. For more information on each of these, click here.