The majority of patients who develop osteoarthritis do so for no known reason. Others will note a history of previous injury to the joint or one of the bones just above or below the joint. Inflammatory arthritis encompasses a wide variety of disease including rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and arthritis associated with psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, and lupus, among others. Patients with inflammatory arthritis often have more severe morning stiffness and will generally have involvement of multiple joints. While the symptoms of arthritis will wax and wane a bit with time, in general there is a gradual progression.
Treatment is aimed at pain relief and slowing or halting disease progression.
Treatment for arthritis begins with nonoperative modalities . When these fail, a variety of surgical procedures, which range from arthroscopy to total joint replacement, are available to provide pain relief and improved function.