Arthritis is an umbrella term for more than a hundred conditions that cause inflammation, pain and stiffness in the joints. It often affects places where two bones meet, such as your knees, hips, hands, and spine, and can make everyday activities harder than they need to be. While arthritis becomes more common with age, it is not an inevitable part of getting older. With early support, the correct information and a few practical habits, most people can protect their joints, keep moving and live well.
This guide explains the main types of arthritis, why they happen, risk factors particularly relevant in India, and what you can do to prevent flare-ups and manage symptoms. It also includes links to helpful Lumov resources for deeper reading and tools you can use right away.
Common Types of Arthritis
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common type of arthritis worldwide. Many people used to think of OA as simple “wear and tear”. Today, we know it involves the whole joint: cartilage, bone, ligaments, tendons and the joint lining. When cartilage thins or frays, the bones can rub against each other, and the joint may feel stiff, swollen or painful, especially after activity or at the end of the day. OA usually builds up slowly over months or years and often affects weight-bearing joints such as the knees and hips, as well as the hands and spine.
Common features:
- Gradual onset and activity-related pain
- Morning stiffness that eases once you start moving
- Often affects one side more than the other at first
- More common after 50, but earlier onset can happen after an injury or heavy joint loading
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune condition. Your immune system mistakenly targets the joint lining (the synovium), triggering inflammation that can lead to swelling, warmth, pain and, if untreated, damage to cartilage and bone. Symptoms usually involve small joints symmetrically (both hands or both feet) and can be accompanied by fatigue or general unwellness. Morning stiffness lasting beyond an hour is considered standard.
What helps most in RA is early diagnosis and timely treatment. Disease-modifying medicines can slow the condition and protect joints when started early. If you’re caring for an older family member, you might find our checklist of questions to ask the doctor about your parent’s arthritis useful before a clinic visit.
Other Important Types
- Gout: Caused by uric acid crystals building up in a joint, often the big toe, leading to sudden, very painful attacks with redness and swelling.
- Psoriatic arthritis: Linked with psoriasis, it can involve any joint and also cause swelling where tendons attach to bone.
- Ankylosing spondylitis: Involves inflammation in the spine and pelvis, often starting in younger adults with persistent back stiffness that improves with movement.
Causes and Mechanisms of Arthritis
There isn’t a single cause of arthritis. Instead, several pathways converge.
- Mechanical stress and micro-injury: Repeated heavy loading or awkward joint positions can strain joint tissues. Over time, repair processes may not keep up with micro-damage, especially where muscles are weak or alignment is off.
- Inflammation: In OA, low-grade inflammation contributes to cartilage breakdown. In RA and other inflammatory types, the immune system drives the inflammation.
- Metabolic factors: Excess body weight, high blood sugar and lipid abnormalities can all drive inflammation and load joints more than they’re designed to handle.
- Genetics: Family history increases your likelihood of certain types, especially RA and OA of the hands and knees. If osteoarthritis runs in your family, these prevention strategies can be a helpful starting point, especially when you have a family history.
What Makes Risk Different in India?
Arthritis is a significant health concern in India, with a rising burden across both urban and rural areas. Several uniquely Indian factors play a role.
Everyday postures and joint loading
Floor-level tasks, sitting cross-legged, frequent squatting and using Indian-style toilets can place higher bending loads on the knees and hips. None of these postures is “bad” in isolation, and many people do them without issues. The challenge arises when these deep-knee positions are repeated for years without adequate muscle strength, recovery or variation in movement. Minor tweaks, such as combining floor sitting with chair sitting, taking micro-breaks, and gently strengthening thighs and hips, can help reduce strain.
Occupational demands
Manual labour in agriculture, construction and manufacturing often involves lifting, kneeling and stair climbing. These activities, when prolonged and performed without strength training or joint protection techniques, can increase risk. In cities, the opposite problem, long hours of sitting with low overall movement, also affects joint health through deconditioning and stiffness. Regular movement, snacks, and posture variety help both groups.
Nutrition patterns
Traditional Indian diets can be protective when they emphasise pulses, vegetables, whole grains and spices like turmeric and ginger. Challenges arise when diets become heavy in refined carbohydrates, sugary snacks and ultra-processed foods, or when high salt intake dominates. If you’re keen to use food to calm inflammation, explore these guides on diet and arthritis-related inflammation and an anti-inflammatory food list that supports joint health.
Gendered patterns of risk
Women in India often shoulder significant household work along with caregiving, sometimes delaying their care. Iron, vitamin D or calcium gaps can also be more common. After menopause, hormonal shifts may increase the risk of some joint issues. If you provide support to an older parent, our Ultimate Arthritis Care Kit includes simple tools and set-ups that ease daily strain.
Symptoms and Early Warning Signs
Get timely advice if you notice:
- Joint pain that lasts more than a few days or keeps returning
- Visible swelling or warmth in one or more joints
- Morning stiffness that takes longer than an hour to ease
- A joint that feels unstable or “gives way”
- Fever or unexplained fatigue alongside joint symptoms
For knee-specific symptoms, locking, catching, or episodes of buckling, seek a professional opinion sooner rather than later, as stability issues can affect how the spine and hips move over time.
Modifiable Risk Factors You Can Address
Weight management
Every extra kilogram adds several kilos of force across weight-bearing joints like the knees. Even modest, steady weight loss reduces joint load and may improve pain. Aim for balanced meals, adequate protein and fibre, and slow, sustainable progress.
Movement and strengthening
Movement is medicine for arthritic joints. Ideally, combine:
- Strength work two or three days a week (body-weight squats to a chair, step-ups, wall push-ups, resistance bands)
- Cardio on most days (walking, cycling, swimming, or an exercise bike)
- Mobility and balance (gentle range-of-motion drills, yoga, tai chi)
Short sessions add up. Start small, work around pain, and increase gradually. If you have a flare, switch to low-impact options and keep joints moving within comfort.
Anti-inflammatory nutrition
Build plates around vegetables, lentils, beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and include omega-3 sources (e.g., fish, walnuts, flaxseed). Use spices like turmeric, ginger and garlic in daily cooking. Reduce ultra-processed foods, sugary drinks and excessive salt.
Joint-friendly daily set-ups
- Use a chair or a raised stool for long tasks at floor level to limit deep knee bending.
- Alternate postures include standing, sitting in a chair, and then transitioning to floor sitting for short periods if comfortable.
- Break up long sitting with two-minute movement snacks each hour.
- Use supportive footwear with cushioning and a stable heel.
- Consider simple aids (grab rails in the bathroom, a raised toilet seat, or a shower stool) if deep squats and kneels are painful.
Smoking and oral health
Smoking is linked with a higher risk of inflammatory arthritis, and gum disease is associated with RA. If you smoke, consider a supported quit plan. Keep dental check-ups regular.
Key Takeaways
- Arthritis refers to many different joint conditions; knowing which type you have guides treatment.
- In India, a mix of cultural postures, occupational demands and nutrition patterns shapes risk. Small changes make a real difference.
- Movement, strength and anti-inflammatory nutrition are the foundation of care for every type.
- For inflammatory arthritis, early diagnosis and DMARDs protect joints.
- Aim for progress, not perfection. Build habits you can keep, and use the linked resources whenever you’re ready for the next step.
References
- Versus Arthritis. Osteoarthritis: causes, symptoms, treatments. https://versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/osteoarthritis/
- Versus Arthritis. Osteoarthritis information booklet (PDF). https://www.versusarthritis.org/media/22908/osteoarthritis-information-booklet.pdf
- NHS. Living with arthritis. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/arthritis/living-with/
- NHS. Osteoarthritis: treatment and support. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/osteoarthritis/treatment/
- NICE Guideline NG100. Rheumatoid arthritis in adults: management. https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng100
- Lancet Rheumatology. Global burden of osteoarthritis. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanrhe/article/PIIS2665-9913%2823%2900163-7/fulltext
- OARSI Journal. Burden of osteoarthritis in India and its states, 1990–2019. https://www.oarsijournal.com/article/S1063-4584%2822%2900742-7/fulltext
- Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. Cigarette smoking, shared epitope and ACPA in RA. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31427439/
- Arthritis & Rheumatology. Increased complications following joint arthroplasty in RA vs OA (systematic review/meta-analysis). https://acrjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/art.37690
- Scientific Reports. Disease activity and arthroplasty outcomes in RA. https://josr-online.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13018-024-04924-4
- Nature (News & Views). Exercise therapy may postpone hip replacement in OA. https://www.nature.com/articles/nrrheum.2013.196.pdf
- PMC. Rural South India study on knee OA risk factors and functional impact. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11633723/
