The simple understanding is arthritis is swelling or inflammation of joints. This may affect any joint in the body. This is the major problem for elderly. Stiffness and pain trouble them a lot. There are many types of arthritis namely osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Some scholars consider gout as also one of the major type.
The arthritis affects all the movements that you are dependent on the most for daily routine. Arthritis is usually chronic and can't be sudden onset. There are so many types for arthritis that may affect many different areas of the body. To the joints, some types of arthritis are associated with diseases of other organs and tissues in the body. There is no perfect age-group which can suffer from arthritis.
The swelling or inflammation is the general reaction of the body. This indicates something wrong with the bodily functions. During this reaction, all the protective blood cells rush to the affected area to fight against the cause of the problem. They clear the damaged cells and repair the hurt tissues. Once the war against the causative factor is won, the inflammation goes away and area comes to its normal size with normal color.
The destruction that has occurred can change the bones and other tissues of the joints sometimes altering the shape and making the movement painful and stiff. Diseases that attacks healthy parts of the body and makes them malfunctioning are known as autoimmune disease.
Ayurveda believes this to be strictly Vata Dosha condition. Joint being one of the main seat of Vata Dosha is target place for the disease. Sandhi refers to the joint and Vata refers to the Vata Dosha, one of the humor. The combination is called as sandhivata – the joint that is affected by Vata Dosha.
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