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:

Osteoarthritis (OA) is believed to be caused by the gradual wear on the body's joints.  It tends to affect the weight bearing joints.  These include the knees, ankles, hands, arms, and hips.  Generally it goes undetected until the later stages, when much of the joint cartilage is already gone.  It's the rubbing of bone against bone that creates the pain.  The cushion provided by the cartilage is either worn down to a point where it's no long effective, or it no longer exists.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is different in that the body's own immune system attacks the joint tissue. Why this happens is still largely unknown in medical circles.  Symptoms include inflammation, pain, stiffness, weakness, and often a deforming of the joints.  It begins in the hands, wrists and feet, and advances to the shoulders, elbows and hips.  This is a chronic disease that can potentially cause complete debility of the joints.

Gout is identifiable by the high level of pain affecting a single joint.  It generally occurs in the big toe, with symptoms that include intense pain, swelling, stiffness, and a warm feeling.  The exact cause is unknown; although deposits of crystals are believe to be involved.

While cartilage itself does not cause pain – it has no nerve endings to transmit pain signals -- the irritation of other tissues in and around the affected joints does.  This is particularly true in the case of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Unfortunately, pain and stiffness similar to the symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis can be caused by many other conditions, such as injury or infection.  Only a medical professional can identify the true source of joint pain.  So what is arthritis pain all about?  Why does it happen?

The purpose of pain is to let you know that something's wrong in your body.  It does this by releasing a chemical signal to the brain from the area that's injured or not functioning correctly.  The brain receives this signal as a pain response.  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.  Arthritic pain is different in the sense that it's long lasting and you can't simply pull your hand away to bring about relief.  Those who are afflicted with arthritis may experience little pain for a period of time, and then experience sudden flare ups without any apparent reason.    The secret to living with arthritis is learning to manage the pain.  This can be done in a number of ways.  There are medications for arthritis.  There are alternative approaches to managing your arthritis pain, as well.  In fact, we'll explore some of these in this report.  And then there are the little day-to-day factors that help relieve pain.

For instance, arthritis pain can be aggravated by fatigue, stress, and/or too much physical exertion, depending on the form of arthritis and the level of fatigue.  By being in tune with your body and aware of your limits, you can avoid additional pain simply by reducing these factors in your life.