According to The National Arthritis Data Workgroup of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, by the year 2020, about sixty million Americans will have arthritis. Nearly forty million Americans, one in seven, have arthritis now. As the baby boomers age that number will increase dramatically. A capsule, lined with a synovial membrane, seals the joint and produces a fluid that reduces friction. Inflammation can affect any of these tissues.
Arthritis is joint inflammation.
Inflammation is a localized, protective response that causes pain and stiffness, particularly after prolonged activity. Inflammation is the body's natural response to injury, it is important in healing and fighting infection. Joint inflammation or damage can be caused either by injury or by the normal wear of aging. In some forms of arthritis, injury is caused by the uncontrolled inflammation of autoimmune diseases. In those cases, the immune system attacks the body's own tissues.