If you are struggling with morning or nightly pains, or pains that get worse with heat or cold, maybe it is time to take a little interest in this age-old affliction of humans. There are so many arthritis facts you can trace and attribute to this painful affliction from its nature, to the financial toll it takes on an economy when its citizenry is restrained by pain. Here are a few little known facts about arthritis.

• Arthritis is not a lone disease. There are, in fact, more than a hundred types of arthritis and rheumatic conditions. The causes are different. This is why it is important to be diagnosed properly and accurately so you will know what type of arthritis afflicts you. Some of these include the Kawasaki Disease and the Sweet’s syndrome.

• It is a prevalent disability affecting children and adults. In the US alone, about 44 million outpatient visits happen in each year leading to about 9,367 deaths. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common affecting about 27 million Americans. About 300,000 cases are juvenile arthritis (JA); this is arthritis developing among kids 18 years and younger. The most common type is called juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). Arthritis manifests higher incidence among women than in men (24.9 percent vs. 18.1 percent); girls are said to twice as likely to develop JRA as boys.
• Arthritis can affect the economy. In the US, arthritis and rheumatoid conditions can cost the US economy $128 billion each year (CDC) and rising with the massive number of people suffering from the condition. The costs are attributed to medical expenses and lost income or wages that are technically factored into the financial impact of arthritis. Based on the CDC reports, over 42% (or 21.1 million) of adults manifest arthritis-attributable activity limitations – stooping, walking, bending, and climbing stairs. These affect their productivity at home and at work.
• Despite medical advancement, there is still no known single treatment for arthritis. Several treatment options can control arthritis symptoms, manage pain, and/or reduce the debilitating skeletal deformations. So far, among the best treatment options is movement. This means exercises, specifically the endurance and resistance types, can provide substantial disease-specific benefits for sufferers of osteoarthritis (OA) and other rheumatic conditions.
• Patients respond differently to treatments. This means that what works for one patient may not work for the other patients. This is why treatments are usually done in combination, or several treatment options are used to find the optimal treatment in each patient. The treatments and therapies may be administered on a trial and error method until the most effective treatment plan is discovered.
• People with arthritis suffer physically and emotionally. The physical limitations imposed by arthritis can cause drastic effects on a person’s life. Chronic pain can make patients go through a roller coaster of emotions - rage, antipathy, despair, seclusion, and fear. Family and friends must realize what they are going through to understand them better.