Types of Arthritis

Medically Reviewed by Shruthi N, MD on January 08, 2025
Written by Debra Fulghum Bruce, PhD, Katie Cameron
8 min read

Did you know that there are more than 100 types of arthritis?

Arthritis is a disease that causes damage to the joints in your body. Although the condition is extremely common in people over 50, it's unclear what causes every type of arthritis. Some forms are caused by normal wear and tear with age, while others are triggered by autoimmune conditions, meaning your body's immune system is attacking your joints by mistake. Even certain viruses — including COVID-19 — can cause viral arthritis.

Arthritis can affect any joint in your body, but the most common places to develop it are your hands, ankles, knees, lower back, hips, feet, wrists, and shoulders.

While anyone can develop arthritis, certain people are more at risk, including women and those assigned female at birth (AFAB), athletes, older people, and those who do physically demanding work.

Learn about some of the most common forms, including what they are, what happens, and their symptoms.

What is it?

More people have this condition than any other form of arthritis. It's the "wear and tear" that happens when your joints are overused. It usually happens with age, but it can also come from joint injuries or obesity, which puts extra stress on your joints.

Joints that bear weight — such as your knees, hips, feet, and spine — are the most common places it affects. It often comes on gradually over months or years. It makes the affected joint hurt. But you don’t feel sick or have the fatigue that comes with some other types of arthritis.

What happens?

You lose your body's shock absorber. Cartilage, the slippery material that covers the ends of bones, gradually breaks down.

One example is what can happen to your knees when you're overweight. The extra pounds put more pressure on the cartilage as it gets squeezed between the bones. It gets damaged and wears away, so there isn't as much left to cushion the joint.

The damaged cartilage makes movement painful. You may hear a grating sound when the roughened cartilage on the surface of the bones rubs together. You may get painful spurs or bumps on the end of the bones, especially on fingers and feet. The joint lining can get inflamed, but it's not common with osteoarthritis.

Symptoms

Depending on which joint or joints are affected, you may have:

  • Deep, aching pain
  • Trouble dressing, combing your hair, gripping things, bending over, squatting, or climbing stairs, depending on which joints are involved
  • Morning stiffness that typically lasts less than 30 minutes
  • Pain when walking
  • Stiffness after resting

Your joint may be:

  • Warm to the touch
  • Swollen and harder to move
  • Unable to move through a full range of motion

What is it?

RA is an autoimmune disease. That means the immune system attacks parts of the body, especially the joints. That leads to inflammation, which can cause severe joint damage if you don't treat it. About 1 in every 5 people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) get lumps on their skin called rheumatoid nodules. These often form over joint areas that receive pressure, such as knuckles, elbows, or heels.

What happens?

Doctors don't know exactly what causes RA. Some experts believe the immune system becomes "confused" after an infection with a bacteria or virus and starts to attack your joints. This battle can spread to other areas of the body.

Scientists think two of the body's chemicals that are related to inflammation — tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin-1 — trigger other parts of the immune system in RA. Medicines that block TNF, interleukin-1, and interleukin-6 can improve the symptoms and prevent joint damage.

Symptoms

They can come on gradually or start suddenly. Symptoms of RA are often more severe than those of osteoarthritis.

The most common include:

  • Pain, stiffness, and swelling in your hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, knees, ankles, feet, jaw, and neck. Rheumatoid arthritis usually affects multiple joints.
  • More than one swollen joint. Usually, it's small joints in your wrists, hands, or feet.
  • A symmetrical pattern. When the knuckles on your left hand are inflamed, the knuckles on your right hand probably will be as well. After some time, you may notice more of your joints feel warm or become painful or swollen.
  • Morning stiffness that can last for hours or even most of the day. You may also feel fatigued and notice that your appetite is down and you've lost weight.

Find out about lab and blood tests for RA.

What is it?

People with this condition have inflammation of the skin (psoriasis) and joints (arthritis).

Psoriasis causes patchy, raised areas of red and white inflamed skin, covered with scales. It usually affects the tips of your elbows and knees, as well as your scalp, navel, and skin around your genital areas or anus.

About 10%-30% of people with psoriasis will also get psoriatic arthritis.

What happens?

This type of arthritis usually starts between ages 30 and 50 but can start as early as childhood. It's equally common among men and women. The skin disease (psoriasis) usually shows up first.

Symptoms

Psoriatic arthritis can swell the fingers and toes. People who have it often have fingernails that are pitted or discolored.

In some people, only one joint or a few joints are affected. For example, you could have it in only one knee. Sometimes, it affects the spine or just the fingers and toes.

Learn how doctors diagnose psoriatic arthritis.

What are the five types of psoriatic arthritis?

Psoriatic arthritis is divided into five types:

  • Distal interphalangeal predominant, which mainly affects your fingers and toes
  • Spondylitis, or the inflammation of the joints in between the vertebrae of your spine
  • Symmetric polyarthritis, which impacts the same joints on one side of your body
  • Asymmetric oligoarticular, which involves different joints on each side of your body
  • Arthritis mutilans, or severe inflammation that can damage the joints in your hands and feet and lead to movement problems

What is it?

A buildup of uric acid crystals in a joint. Most of the time, it’s your big toe or another part of your foot.

What happens?

Often you wake up with a sudden, sharp pain in your big toe after a night of drinking. But drugs, stress, or another illness can also trigger a gout attack.

The attack lasts about 3-10 days, even if you don’t treat it. It may be months or years before you have another one, but over time, attacks may grow more frequent. And they may last longer, too. If left untreated for too long, gout can affect your joints and kidneys.

Gout results from one of three things:

  • Your body is making more uric acid.
  • Your kidneys can’t process the uric acid your body makes.
  • You’re eating too many foods that raise uric acid levels.

Symptoms

They almost always come on quickly. You’ll notice:

  • Intense joint pain: It’ll probably be in your big toe, but it could also be in your ankles, knees, elbows, wrists, or fingers.
  • Discomfort: Even after the sharp pain goes away, your joint will still hurt.
  • Inflammation and redness: The joint will be red, swollen, and tender.
  • Hard to move: Your joint will be stiff.

What is it?

Lupus, also called systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease. It can affect your joints and many organs in your body.

What happens?

Doctors don’t know exactly what causes lupus, but something makes your immune system go awry. Instead of attacking viruses and other invaders, it starts to cause inflammation and pain throughout your body, affecting everything from your joints to your organs and even your brain.

Women and people assigned female at birth of childbearing age are more likely to get lupus than men. It affects African American women more often than White women. It usually appears between ages 15 and 44.

Symptoms

Learn about lab tests used to help diagnose lupus.

Because there are so many joints in your hands, they're a common site for arthritis. Your hands may feel stiff and painful, and as your arthritis progresses, it can become harder to do everyday handheld tasks. 

Different types of arthritis can affect your hands, including:

  • Osteoarthritis. This type occurs when the cartilage around your joints wears out over time, and you may develop bony lumps around your finger joints over time.
  • Psoriatic arthritis. If you have this type of arthritis, you may have a swollen middle finger, particularly around the center joint, as well as red, scaly skin patches on your wrist, and deformed or brittle fingernails.
  • Rheumatoid arthritis. This chronic (long-term) type of arthritis can cause pain and swelling in your hands. It will usually affect the same joints in both your hands. 
  • Polymyalgia rheumatica. This type can cause pain, numbness, and tingling in your hands. It's usually worse in the mornings and can feel better with movement.
  • Post-traumatic arthritis. If you've injured your wrist or hand, you may develop this type of arthritis near the site of your injury. Normally, the pain and stiffness caused by post-traumatic arthritis can be managed with a brace or physical therapy, but if your symptoms are severe, you may need surgery.

Arthritis is extremely common, especially in those over age 50. You can develop arthritis in any of your joints, but it's most common in your hands. There are 100 different types of arthritis, and while there's no cure for the disease, your health care provider can help you find treatments to manage your symptoms. They may recommend physical therapy, lifestyle changes, anti-inflammatory medications, or even surgery if your arthritis is severe enough.

What is the most painful kind of arthritis?

Gout and rheumatoid arthritis can both be extremely painful, but the severity and level of discomfort vary from person to person.

Is there a way to prevent arthritis even if it's not genetic?

There's no sure way to prevent arthritis, but some lifestyle choices — such as avoiding repetitive activities, maintaining a healthy weight, and not smoking — can help lower your chances of developing the disease.

Can weather have an impact on arthritis?

Yes, cold weather can worsen arthritis symptoms. Lower temperatures can lead to muscle spasms, heighten your pain sensitivity, and slow your circulation. Do your best to keep moving and stay warm when the weather gets cold to limit flare-ups.

What is the fastest way to relieve arthritis pain?

Everyone's body is different, so no single treatment is a surefire way to ease your symptoms. Your best bet is to stay ahead of your symptoms by maintaining good habits, such as watching your posture, keeping active, managing your weight, and not smoking. 

When should I consider surgery as an option for arthritis? 

If your pain becomes debilitating — making it impossible to do most of your everyday tasks — or if you've developed bone loss because of your arthritis, your health care provider may recommend surgery.