Knee & Sports Injury Clinic
Bristol
Email: boc@orthopaedics.co.uk
Medical Information
Explore detailed information about a range of joint problems and treatments, including medications, surgery, physiotherapy and rehabilitation. Reading this will help you understand more about your own condition. There is also a glossary with explanations of many medical terms used in orthopaedics. You can find out even more by following the links page to other related websites, journals or professional medical associations.
Hover over links below to view summary or click on the link to view full article:
Introducing Arthritis
Author: DAVID P JOHNSON MB ChB FRCS FRCS. MD
Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon
Summary
This booklet is designed to give you some helpful information about arthritis and other joint problems, and how the Arthritis Research Campaign (ARC) is fighting them.
Arthritis and rheumatism – is there a difference?
‘Arthritis’ is a term used by doctors to describe inflammation within a joint – as in rheumatoid arthritis, for example. The term comes from the Greek ‘arthros’, meaning joint, and ‘itis’, meaning inflammation. ‘Rheumatism’ is a more general term which is used to describe aches and pains in or around the joints. Because there are many possible causes of these pains doctors do not often use the term ‘rheumatism’ and will usually refer to these problems either by a specific diagnosis (e.g. ‘rheumatoid arthritis’, ‘gout’) or according to the part of the body affected (e.g. ‘low back pain’ or ‘knee pain’). Doctors sometimes use the terms ‘musculoskeletal conditions’ or ‘the rheumatic diseases’ to refer to a whole range of conditions which affect the joints.
Link: http://www.arc.org.uk/arthinfo/patpubs/6020/6020.asp
Editor: David P Johnson MD.
St Mary’s Hospital. Clifton Bristol. BS8 1JU.
Web site: www.orthopaedics.co.uk
boc@orthopaedics.co.uk
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