Rheumatoid Arthritis Or Osteoarthritis - Which Do You Suffer From?

Everyone has heard of arthritis. But even among the millions of arthritis sufferers worldwide there is still a lot of confusion about the type of arthritis they suffer. For the majority of people it comes down to two types - rheumatoid arthritis, which is an inflammatory condition, and osteoarthritis, a "wear-and-tear" type of arthritis that mainly occurs as you get older.

We will look at rheumatoid arthritis in more detail first. Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory condition that primarily affects the smaller joints in your body like your hands, wrists and feet. This arthritis disease is three times more common among woman than men and strikes around 1% of the U.S. population - which means that at any one time the lives of millions of people are been affected by this crippling disease. It can also get worse over time and eventually may affect other organs in the body as well.

The second most common type of arthritis is called osteoarthritis. As we explained earlier, osteoarthritis is a "wear-and-tear" type of arthritis that mainly affects the elderly. Osteoarthritis usually impacts upon the larger weight-bearing joints, such as the hips and knees. Another point of difference between rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis can been seen in the duration of joint stiffness and pain.

When someone suffers from RA, the stiffness in their joints is worse after rest - such as first thing in the morning - and often lasts at least 30 minutes or more. In addition, RA has a tendency to affect the knuckles and the wrists, areas that are usually not affected by osteoarthritis. With osteoarthritis, however, joint stiffness tends to be quite brief and usually lasts only a few minutes.

Here are other ways to differentiate rheumatoid arthritis from osteoarthritis. All of the symptoms listed below are classic signs of rheumatoid arthritis and if you suffer from any of them then it is almost certain that you have some form of the disease:

• The joint is swollen or red which suggests that there is inflammation

• The joint symptom is associated with systemic features such as fever, general fatigue or body stiffness lasting more than 10 to 15 minutes

• Joints are affected on both sides, rather than one sided

A final diagnosis, however, needs to be made by your doctor. While there is no cure for RA at the moment, people suffering from the disease can have considerable control over it through their diet, lifestyle changes and physical therapy.

One form of treatment that has proven to be particularly effective against the joint inflammation of rheumatoid arthritis is omega-3 fatty supplements. Try to maintain a healthy weight, take adequate rest and eat a healthy diet consisting of omega-3 supplements in the form of fish oil supplements. If you are consistent, your arthritis will be more manageable and may even recede. Now that you understand the benefits of fish oil supplements, take a look at the products on my website that I use myself, along with other good tips and advice to fight arthritis.