Dr. Ruderman describes arthritis.
Dr. Ruderman:
Simply put, arthritis is pain and inflammation in a joint. There are probably 200 different types of arthritis out there, a lot or reasons that can happen. The root of the word is ‘arth’ which is joint, and ‘itis’ which is inflammation. And it is just a swollen, painful joint.
It can be triggered either by degeneration of the cartilage in the joint. It can be triggered by immune processes like rheumatoid arthritis. Infections can cause arthritis. Crystals like gout can cause arthritis. But in all of those cases what is happening is either some sort of active inflammation or damage to the joint triggers more inflammation and creates pain, swelling, stiffness, all of which are hallmarks of arthritis.
About Dr. Ruderman, M.D.:
Dr. Eric M. Ruderman, M.D., is associate professor in the division of rheumatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois. He is also a board member of the Arthritis Foundation of Greater Chicago.
Dr. Ruderman graduated from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in New York, New York. He completed his residence at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and his fellowship training in rheumatology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.