Bursae are small fluid-filled sacs that serve as cushions and reduce friction between bone and other moving parts, such as overlying muscle, tendons, or skin. There are approximately 160 bursae found throughout the body. If a bursa becomes inflamed, the condition is referred to as bursitis.

People whose occupation or leisure activity requires repetitive use of a joint are prone to bursitis. Learn more about the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of bursitis in Bursitis - Fast Facts.

Related Resources:

• Fast Facts About Tendonitis
• Inflammation - The Battle Within
• Test Your Knowledge - Inflammation
• More About Bursitis

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Bursitis - Fast Facts originally appeared on About.com Arthritis on Sunday, March 7th, 2010 at 23:34:44.

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Living with chronic pain and physical limitations can test your confidence and affect your self-esteem. Think about it -- self-esteem is a measure of how you feel about yourself. Your self-esteem gauge is high when you feel you perform well -- whether that be at work, in the home, or during leisure time -- and it's low when you feel you're failing at what's expected of you.

Logically, it's easy to realize how arthritis can be a life-changer and erode self-esteem -- especially in severe cases. Part of the problem -- we compare ourselves to able-bodied people (people without arthritis). Should your self-esteem be based on how well you perform in an able-bodied world or in your real world? Learn more about how chronic pain and limitations test your confidence in Arthritis Can Affect Self-Esteem.

Share Your Thoughts:

• Has Your Self-Esteem and Confidence Been Shaken by Arthritis?

Related Resources:

• Jealous of Able-Bodied People?
• Living in a "Normal World"
• Living With Arthritis - Denial Versus Acceptance
• Physical Limitations - A Consequence of Arthritis

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Arthritis Can Affect Self-Esteem originally appeared on About.com Arthritis on Saturday, March 6th, 2010 at 23:33:55.

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Spondyloarthropathy (also known as spondyloarthritis) refers to a group of inflammatory rheumatic diseases with common characteristics that can include inflammation of the spine, eye, gastrointestinal tract, and skin. Other joints can be involved, as can tendons and ligaments near the spine or affected joint.

The following conditions are classified as spondyloarthropathies:

• Ankylosing spondylitis
• Psoriatic arthritis
• Reactive arthritis
• Enteropathic arthritis
• Undifferentiated spondyloarthropathy
• Juvenile spondyloarthropathy

Learn more about each condition in Spondyloarthropathies Explained.

Related Resources:

• Fast Facts About Ankylosing Spondylitis
• Fast Facts About Psoriatic Arthritis
• Fast Facts About Reactive Arthritis
• Spondyloarthropathy and HLA-B27
• Rheumatism, Rheumatic Disease, and Arthritis: Are They the Same?

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Types of Arthritis: Spondyloarthropathies originally appeared on About.com Arthritis on Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 20:22:04.

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Arthritis is a disease that can cause fear because of its uncertain course. Arthritis can be life-changing and that can be scary. When first diagnosed, there are immediate concerns. How will the disease affect your ability to work, take care of your family, and take care of yourself?

What will it be like to live every day in pain? Will your treatment cause undesirable side effects? Will you get worse and how fast will that occur? Will you lose your independence? Are you going to become disabled? Has fear been a major factor in your disease as you faced these questions about living with arthritis? Share Your Thoughts - Has Fear Been a Factor in Your Disease?

Related Resources:

• Is Arthritis Frustrating?
• The Emotional Aspects of Arthritis
• Arthritis Patients - Do You Fear the Future?
• The Ups and Downs of Living With Arthritis
• Denial Vs Acceptance - Do I Really Have Arthritis?

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Has Fear Been a Factor in Your Disease? originally appeared on About.com Arthritis on Sunday, February 28th, 2010 at 23:39:47.

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Rheumatoid arthritis patients appear to age faster than people without the disease, according to a report in Arthritis Today. After studying the medical records of 755 rheumatoid arthritis patients who were diagnosed between 1955 and 2008, Mayo Clinic researchers discovered that the patients were physically two years older than their actual age at the time of diagnosis. Beyond that point, they aged even more rapidly.

Researchers concluded that for "every 10 years of chronological aging, people with RA physically age 11.4 years." It is known that, in patients with the disease, there is accelerated aging at the cellular level. Is this effect causing an increased risk of mortality in rheumatoid arthritis patients? How are newer rheumatoid arthritis treatments that became available in the last decade or so affecting aging and mortality? Researchers will likely consider those questions going forward.

Related Resources:

• Rheumatoid Arthritis Explained
• Rheumatoid Arthritis Shortens Life Expectancy
• The Correlation of Life Expectancy and Arthritis
• Lower Mortality - Obese or Thin RA Patients?
• Rheumatoid Arthritis - 10 Things You Should Know

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Rheumatoid Arthritis May Affect Aging Process originally appeared on About.com Arthritis on Saturday, February 27th, 2010 at 23:58:28.

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