Lay-mans explanantion of osteoarthritis

A joint is where two bones meet to allow movement. The ends of the bone are covered with cartilage or gristle that acts as a shock absorber when the joints are loaded, e.g. when standing. In osteoarthritis, the cartilage undergoes some chemical changes that result in loss of resilience within the cartilage, leading to a tendency to fracture and fragment, with thinning of the cartilage. Sometimes the cartilage works away over part, or all, of the bones surface, causing bone to rub against bone, which is very painful. This disease is common with increasing age but in some people, because of other factors, it is far more severe. By way of contrast, Maria’s Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease causing inflammation of the synovial membrane and therefore it produces different symptoms. Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis are the two commonest of the approximately 200 different forms of arthritis.