At Castiva, our topical arthritis pain relief lotion provides an unprecedented level of arthritis pain relief, leading to return to the quality of life you deserve.

But the first step to living comfortably with arthritis is understanding what exactly has happened in your body, and what to expect in the future. So here are some of the basic elements of three of the most common types of arthritis:

Osteoarthritis

You’re probably familiar with this type. As the most common form of arthritis, osteoarthritis happens when the cartilage at the end of your bones wears away over time. The result is a painful condition where bones rub against each other, causing friction and swelling.

You can feel it in any joint, although you’re most likely to be affected in high-use joints like your hands, or weight-bearing joints like your knees and hips. Since osteoarthritis usually happens as a gradual process over time—and therefore disproportionately affects elderly patients—it’s also sometimes called “degenerative joint disease.”

Rheumatoid Arthritis

This form can affect joints anywhere on the body, but is also most commonly found in the hands, wrists and knees. Instead of a physical and measurable reduction in cartilage, the problem happens within the immune system. The body mistakenly attacks itself, resulting in swelling in the joint lining.

That inflammation can spread to tissues in surrounding parts of the body, and will often damage cartilage and bone over time. Rheumatoid arthritis can even damage other, non-bone areas of the body in extreme cases, causing painful damage to parts like the eyes and skin.

Gout

Goutic arthritis happens most often in the big toes, knees or wrists. Basically, the body simply stops eliminating uric acid—a natural substance in the bloodstream normally discharged through urine. When this process fails, the excess substance forms pin-like crystals on cartilage attached to many joints. The result is swelling and severe pain, and gout patients sometimes even become afflicted with uric kidney stones.

Gout has often been common among affluent societies, where high-purine content wines like champagne and port, and foods like lobster and crab, are more likely to be consumed. As such, gout has also been known throughout history as “Rich Man’s Disease” or “The Disease of Kings”

And more…

Unfortunately, arthritis can happen in several different forms—all featuring some painful combination swelling, stiffness, joint inflammation and tenderness. Learn more about all types of arthritis—and all about achieving arthritis pain relief through Castiva—at our arthritis resources page.