October 12 is World Arthritis Day. The aim of the day is to shatter some of the many misconceptions about arthritis and to raise awareness of how it affects people every day. You can share this article with those around you to help them better understand what you are going through.

What People with Arthritis Want Others to Know

There is more than one type of arthritis

Although osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, it is not the only one. In fact, there are over 100 different forms including rheumatoid arthritis, gout, ankylosing spondylitis and more. They have different causes, symptoms and treatments.

Some can affect the whole body

Osteoarthritis is sometimes called ‘wear and tear’ arthritis as progressive erosion gradually damages the joints. While this can be very painful, it is confined to the affected joint area.

Many other forms of arthritis are caused by a dysfunctional immune system attacking otherwise healthy cells in the body. These are classified as autoimmune or inflammatory arthritis and can affect many parts of the body, such as the lungs, heart and eyes. Examples of these include rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis.

Arthritis doesn’t discriminate.

Arthritis is not just for older people. It affects around 4.1 million people1, including around 6 to ten thousand children.2 It doesn’t care about gender or race either. (Although some forms of arthritis can be more common in certain demographics.)*

There is no “one size fits all” treatment

There is no one specific cause of arthritis. Contributing factors can include genetics, environment and infections. It can also range in severity from mild and localised to severe and disabling. Therefore, it is impossible to say that any single treatment can “cure” arthritis.

We all respond to treatments differently, so what works for some might not work for others. Many people with arthritis use a combination of medical and complementary treatments worked out through a process of trial and error.

There is no cure, but it can be managed

Having arthritis is not the end of the world. We can still lead full and happy lives, although we may need to adapt our lifestyles, which can be challenging. Chronic arthritis pain can be exhausting, so many people need to rest frequently or find less taxing ways of doing things.

Arthritis activity can also vary in intensity. Strong periods of activity (known as flares) can come and go throughout the day or last for months. Therefore, we can have “good” days and “bad” days. These can be difficult to predict, though people sometimes recognise triggers such as weather conditions or periods of high stress.

Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment can limit disease progression. In some cases, treatment can help people go into remission. There are also many types of allied health professionals that can help make arthritis more manageable, such as physiotherapists, clinical psychologists and dieticians.

Our conditions are real

Many forms of arthritis are not obviously visible. Therefore, we can be in a lot of pain but still walking around looking like everyone else. This can lead to a lot of stigma and discrimination with people accused of being lazy or “faking it”.

Nobody chooses to have arthritis. We want to be active and to work and to function independently. We haven’t given up on life.

What we need is support and understanding from those around us. Please don’t presume you know how we feel or what we need. Just ask us how we are going and be willing to listen to what we say.

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Keep Reading

CreakyJoints Australia has a wealth of information about arthritis and great tips for dealing with it.

Sources

1 Arthritis Australia: The Future Burden of Arthritis: Projections to the Year 2040
2 Juvenile Arthritis Foundation of Australia: Juvenile Arthritis