Generally, the goal is to reduce the inflammation and swelling of the affected joint, thereby preventing further damage and reducing the pain.  Most arthritis medications fall into three categories:

The classic example is when you place your hand on a hot stove. The nerves in your hand send a message to the brain alerting it that damage is being done, and your brain responds by encouraging you to pull your hand away from the hot surface. It's a safety mechanism, designed to protect your body.

While pain is generally considered the worse symptom of arthritis, some forms of arthritis are more painful than others. Pain can be the result of joint fatigue and/or inflammation of the membrane around the joints, tendons and ligaments.

Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and gout are the three most common forms. So let's take a quick look at each of these:

While most people that suffer from the most severe forms of Osteoarthritis are age 60 or higher, this particular disease begins it's disabling affects before then. As stated earlier, it is a "degenerative" disease, therefore it's effects to our bodies happen over a span of a lifetime. However, some people as young as 25 can experience the same pain as someone 65 in age.