How will it affect me?

Having arthritis will mean something different for each person, but how severely and for how long you are affected will depend on the type of arthritis you have. You may also find that there are some good days and some bad days.

Generally most people will feel a level of:

• discomfort
• pain
• stiffness
• fatigue

Some people may feel frustrated as these symptoms can lead to a loss of strength and grip, making it harder to move around and carry out daily tasks. This does not mean you need to give up having an active lifestyle, but you may need to make some changes to your way of life.

Taking control of your arthritis

Although there is no known cure for arthritis at present, there are ways in which you can relieve the pain, stiffness and inflammation.

Arthritis pain can take many forms – you may get a persistent pain, sharp stabbing pains or a mixture of aches and pains. For further information on Coping with Pain refer to the Arthritis Care booklet.

Gentle exercise is one way of tackling the loss of strength, grip and mobility associated with arthritis. See Exercise and Arthritis and keeping active

There is a lot you can do to take control of your condition to whatever extent it affects you. See Living with Arthritis for tips on how to manage your life and conditions for information about your own particular form of arthritis.

The Arthritis Care helpline is available to answer any specific questions you may have on all aspects of arthritis.

Where can I find out more?

See our list of publications and resources listed by subject.