October 12th each year is dedicated to creating awareness about Arthritis and is celebrated word-wide as World Arthritis Day. This year seeks to make life easier for the many millions of sufferers by recognizing that ‘Small things matter for people with Arthritis’ – the theme for this year’s World Arthritis Day.

Osteoarthritis is one of the commonest diseases affecting the joints and the symptoms usually occur as we age. The weight bearing joints like the hips and knees are affected in most of the cases. Less commonly, the non-weight bearing joints like the shoulder, elbow, finger and ankle may get affected. Although osteoarthritis is more common in the elderly, it can also be seen in young people due to an abnormal wear and tear in joint structures following fracture.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease that causes pain, swelling, stiffness and loss of function in the joints .It has several special features that make it different from other kinds of arthritis. Being is a systemic disease, hence it tends to affect other organs in the body as well. Rheumatoid Arthritis can affect anyone including children (known as Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis), however it usually occurs between 30 and 50 years of age.

Children with arthritis often find it difficult to cope up with the disease and treatment therefore has to be aimed at restoring the functional activity of the child such as going to school, getting educated, holding jobs, raising families and so on. It is also vital to ensure that joint and bone function, vision are preserved to the maximum possible extent.

Arthritic patients can find relief with the practice of yoga. Yoga assists in arresting the advancement of the disease. Yogic postures help in toning the muscles and loosening the joints, thus enhancing their mobility. In order to ease the pain caused by inflammation, yogic exercises must become part of the daily routine.