The word 'arthritis' means 'inflammation of joints', which is derived from the Greek word 'arthron' that means joint and the Latin word 'itis' which means inflammation.
Over 35 crore (350 million) people suffer from arthritis globally, as per the data collected by the Global Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Network in 2021.
The knowledge about arthritis, its types and its treatment is vast, but also mired in myths.
To bust some of the common myths around arthritis, we spoke to Dr Manish Sontakke, Senior Consultant-Orthopaedic Surgery, Fortis Hiranandani Hospital and Dr. Shrikant Yeshwant Wagh, Rheumatologist, LUPUS Clinic, Pune.
Myth 1: All Joint Pain is Arthritis
A common myth is that any kind of joint pain is arthritis. But that's not true.
Speaking to The Quint, Dr Wagh said that there are 100 to 120 types of arthritis, but joint pain should not be confused with it.
"Extreme knee joint pain, mostly noticed in the elderly, is osteoarthritis but not all joint pain should be confused with arthritis. When a joint gets damaged because of untreated or long-term swelling, it is seen as arthritis. It can either be inflammatory, extra-articular and degenerative arthritis."
Myth 2: All Types of Arthritis Are the Same
It is often argued that all kinds of arthritis are the same and require the same treatment.
As per the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), there are about 100 types of arthritis and each requires a different type of treatment.
Dr Sontakke states that among all the types of arthritis, the most common one is Osteoarthritis and it happens because of ageing. The other type, he says, is called secondary arthritis which happens when the body finds an external factor and the antibodies formed in our body attack our joint tissues.
According to data collected in 2021 the World Health Organization (WHO) and Global Burden of Disease (GBD), globally 52.8 crore (528 million) people suffer from Osteoarthritis and 1.8 crore (18 million) people from Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Myth 3: Only Old People Suffer From Arthritis
Although arthritis is a common disease seen in elderly people, it tends to affect people of all age groups. One of most commonly found arthritis is found in children and is called Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA).
Dr Wagh said, "Rheumatic diseases are not uncommon in children. They suffer through juvenile arthritis, which is caused due to inflammation in joints."
Explaining the regularity of arthritis disease in old age, Dr Sontakke mentioned that arthritis is common in old age because the muscle mass weakens and bone mass becomes softer, which makes it harder for the joints to undertake body's weight.
He also added that hormonal changes cause osteoporosis which makes arthritis set in faster in elderly people.
Myth 4: Exercise Worsens Arthritis
A myth about exercising worsening arthritis is not true. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), performing arthritis-friendly physical activities can give out positive results for people with arthritis.
It states that these exercises can also relieve arthritis pain and joint stiffness.
Dr Wagh says, "Everyone should exercise even if they suffer from arthritis but it should be limited according to what their body can take. Due to lack of exercise, a joint's range of movement and mobility lessens which is not a good sign if suffering from arthritis."
Myth 5: Arthritis Can't be Treated
According to Mission Arthritis India – an Arthritis Support Group – Rheumatoid Arthritis can effectively be treated and controlled with the help of medicine and exercise.
Dr Wagh explains that arthritis treatment differs from type to type like degenerative arthritis requires exercise, good posture or simple pain killers while serious degenerative arthritis might also sometimes require knee replacement surgery.
"Ideally, if arthritis is diagnosed in its early stages within three months, then it can be treated better to avoid long-term complications," added Dr Wagh.
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