Early Signs and Symptoms of Arthritis -

 rthritis is an inflammatory disease of the joint that can affect any joints in any part of the body and cause various symptoms ranging from mild pain to swelling of the affected joints. Learn about the early signs and symptoms of arthritis, common types of arthritis, and treatment options for arthritis in this article.

Arthritis literally translated as "joint inflammation" and as its meaning implied, it is an inflammatory disease of the joint that can affect any joints in any part of the body. A joint is the point where two or more bones connect together such as the knee, shoulder or wrist. Healthy joints are protected by a dense connective tissue called cartilage. Also, the joint is enclosed in synovial membrane that forms a sturdy sheath and secretes synovial fluid that helps the cartilage in protecting the bones from rubbing against each other.

Symptoms of arthritis

Joint inflammation caused by arthritis will lead to various symptoms ranging from mild pain to swelling of the affected joints. Other common symptoms associated with arthritis include redness in the joints that feel warm to the touch, an increased stiffness in the joints especially after waking up from the bed, a cracking sound in the joints when changing position, and severe joint pain that may cause it's hard to move.

Early signs of arthritis

Arthritis can take four to ten years to appear after the early signs do. Below is a list of early signs and symptoms of arthritis that you should watch out for. These arthritis symptoms will be varied from person to person since each person's nutritional intake is different.

Dry scalp with dandruff

Dry skin with a whitish in various parts of the body

Ear has no ear wax

Fingernails brittleness

Premature graying hair

Wrinkles around the neck

Ringing in the ears

Skin paleness

Itchy nose and rectum

Buildup of dried flecks at the corners of the eyes

Stiffness when waking up in the morning

Coldness and clamminess in the hands and legs

Bleeding gums

Varicose veins in the legs

Being sterile.

Types of Arthritis

There are over 100 different diseases associated with the term arthritis, and the three most common types of arthritis are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a very common type of arthritis. It generally affects the cartilage, a tough elastic tissue that prevents friction of the bones within the joint. After some time, or because of illness, the cartilage may begin to wear out or decay; in some extreme cases, all the cartilage can be worn out resulting in nothing to protect the bones within the joint from rubbing against each other. This friction often leads to pain and swelling of the affected area, and even disability. Although osteoarthritis can affect any joint, it very often strikes the large weight-supporting joints such as knees, hips, and feet, and also the hands, spinal facet joints and neck.