Arthritis is a disease of the joints and causes inflammation, and breakdown of the cartilage that normally projects the joint bones by providing a cushion between the bones, in order to keep them from rubbing together. The protective fluids and cartilage erode over time, usually in the hip, knee, wrists, elbows and shoulders over time.

Inflammatory arthritis is one of the common types of arthritis and is considered an autoimmune disease. The reason for this is because it damages the tissue in the immune system and causes swelling in the joints that can cause degeneration and deformity of the joint.

There are some factors that can help to promote osteoarthritis to develop in the body, while not avoidable; in some cases treatment for the debilitating disease can begin sooner to avoid its progression and the pain associated with this type of arthritis. This is a condition that can be genetic, which means that in cases where there is Ehlers-Danlos syndrome it might not be avoidable due to the collagen disturbance. There can also be congenital factors that cause this disease due to abnormalities in the body, such as legs of different lengths; this can be a matter of less than one inch and almost unnoticeable.