| Rheumatoid arthritis is the second major type of | | | | you may aggravate the ailment. |
| arthritis - exceeded in number of cases only by | | | | It is important that you ask your doctor to diagnose |
| osteoarthritis. It is a very serious ailment caused by | | | | whether you are actually afflicted with Rheumatoid |
| inflammation of the joints. The pain associated with the | | | | arthritis and if so, start taking the treatment that he |
| disease is at times so severe that it almost completely | | | | prescribes. If you go by your doctor's advice you can |
| disables sufferers. It affects women more often than | | | | save yourself a lot of damage by reducing the |
| men. | | | | severity of the attack of the disease. Any delay in |
| Rheumatoid arthritis advances in three stages starting | | | | diagnosing and treating the disease may aggravate to |
| with painful swelling and stiffness of the joints. In the | | | | an extent that you may have to undergo surgery. This |
| second stage the pain aggravates and the bones and | | | | will not only entail great pain, but also require huge |
| cartilage are severely affected thereby restricting the | | | | costs of treatment. |
| movement of the person altogether. By this time the | | | | Besides seeking a doctor's advice early, you may take |
| diseases becomes chronic and just defies all | | | | general precautions like protecting your affected areas |
| treatment. | | | | from stress of exertion. You should also try to reduce |
| It is in your best interest to immediately consult a | | | | your weight if you are obese. Also contact your |
| doctor as soon as you have pain in the joints. This | | | | physiotherapist. Seek his or her advice about certain |
| means that don't wait for any other symptom appear. | | | | kind of exercises that may be specific to your kind of |
| Also, you should never try treating the disease by | | | | rheumatoid arthritis and take these exercises regularly |
| taking over the counter medicines. Chances are that | | | | as per the expert's advice. |