Arthritis is a condition that causes pain and stiffness of the joints. It sometimes also causes redness or swelling. In severe
cases, joints may become deformed.
There are different kinds of arthritis. Two common forms are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Symptoms of osteoarthritis
begin to appear by middle age. Most people over age 60 have some osteoarthritis, although they may not have symptoms.
Rheumatoid arthritis usually starts in early adulthood or middle age. Both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are three
times more common in women than in men. Examples of other forms of arthritis include gout and arthritis, which occur after an
injury or with infections such as gonorrhea.
Treatment for arthritis is primarily pain management and reduction of the rate of inflammatory process, and include the myriad
of pain management continuum starting with pharmacological treatments and physical therapy, followed by joint injectional
modalities. In selected opioid responsive patients with escalating dose requirements, Implantation of an intrathecal drug
delivery system might be an option.
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