Arthritis

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• Test Your Knowledge

Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Patient Handouts

Summary

If you feel pain and stiffness in your body or have trouble moving around, you might have arthritis. Most kinds of arthritis cause pain and swelling in your joints. Joints are places where two bones meet, such as your elbow or knee. Over time, a swollen joint can become severely damaged. Some kinds of arthritis can also cause problems in your organs, such as your eyes or skin.

Types of arthritis include:

• Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. It's often related to aging or to an injury.
• Autoimmune arthritis happens when your body's immune system attacks healthy cells in your body by mistake. Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common form of this kind of arthritis.
• Juvenile arthritis is a type of arthritis that happens in children.
• Infectious arthritis is an infection that has spread from another part of the body to the joint.
• Psoriatic arthritis affects people with psoriasis.
• Gout is a painful type of arthritis that happens when too much uric acid builds up in the body. It often starts in the big toe.

NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Start Here

• Arthritis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
• Arthritis Basics (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Bone X-Ray (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• C-Reactive Protein (CRP) Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Direct Arthrography (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Musculoskeletal MRI (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Synovial Fluid Analysis (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Arthritis Pain: Treatments Absorbed through Your Skin (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Joint Injections (Joint Aspirations) (American College of Rheumatology) Also in Spanish
• Pain Relievers: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Living With

• About Physical Activity and Arthritis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Arthritis (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Arthritis Pain: Do's and Don'ts (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Employees with Arthritis (Office of Disability Employment Policy)
• HIV and Rheumatic Disease (American College of Rheumatology) Also in Spanish
• Sex and Arthritis (American College of Rheumatology) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Adult Still's Disease (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Arthritis of the Hand (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
• Arthritis of the Shoulder (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
• Arthritis of the Thumb (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
• Arthritis of the Wrist (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
• Inflammatory Arthritis of the Hip (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
• Overview of Enteropathic Arthritis / Arthritis Associated with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Spondylitis Association of America)
• Thumb Arthritis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Genetics

• Blau syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics and Rheumatic Disease (American College of Rheumatology) Also in Spanish

Test Your Knowledge

• Osteoarthritis and Activity Quiz (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Statistics and Research

• Arthritis by the Numbers: Book of Trusted Facts and Figures (Arthritis Foundation) - PDF
• FastStats: Arthritis (National Center for Health Statistics)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Arthritis (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Induction of Cure in Early Arthritis (I CEA): study protocol for...
• Article: Introduction to the South African Rheumatism and Arthritis Association 2024 guidelines.
• Article: Maintaining good mental health in people with inflammatory arthritis: a qualitative...
• Arthritis -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Arthritis Foundation: Local Office Directory (Arthritis Foundation)
• Find a Rheumatologist (American College of Rheumatology)
• National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Arthritis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Osteotomy of the knee (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Stay active and exercise when you have arthritis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish