(HealthDay News) -- The pain caused by osteoarthritis may be as damaging as the disease itself, according to a new study.

According to a University of Rochester study published Monday in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism, the nerve pathways carrying pain signals between the arthritic joints and the spinal cord transfer inflammation to the spine and surrounding cells and back again.

We've all had the experience at some point of reading a book or an article in a magazine that describes us so well we think the reporter must have been in our own living room! The feelings of identification and even relief that comes from that experience -- from realizing you are normal, and not at all alone -- can be huge.

I have been dealing with perimenopause and menopause for about 5 and 2 years, respectively. In that time I've experienced almost every symptom, some mildly and some not-so-mildly. I am a reader and an information nut, so it wasn't like I didn't know what was going on.

Over the weekend, my mother casually stated that her arthritis has been bothering her. "What arthritis?" I asked her.

My mother is a very active woman just months away from her 80th birthday. She tries to walk 10,000 steps every day (we once calculated that to be a little over 2 miles for her). She has done 5-10Ks, knits lovely things for people and has beautiful hands with long tapered fingers. When she showed me her fingers, I was shocked that I had not noticed, before, that her knuckles were slightly deformed.

By Steven Reinberg
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, May 8 (HealthDay News) -- Arthritis strikes more than half of the 20.6 million American adults who have diabetes, and the painful joint condition may be a barrier to exercise among these patients, a new government report shows.

By Steven Reinberg
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, March 6 (HealthDay News) -- People taking medications for rheumatoid arthritis may also be reducing their risk of heart attack and stroke, a new study suggests.

FRIDAY, Feb. 29 (HealthDay News) -- The injected drug Arcalyst has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat two rare cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes, the Associated Press reported.
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The inherited disorders, which affect about 300 people in the United States, can cause symptoms including joint pain, rashes and fever. One of them can also cause hearing loss and deafness.