What is arthritis?

Arthritis is a name for a group of over 100 conditions affecting the joints. It can affect many different parts of the joint and nearly every joint in the body
While arthritis is very common – affecting more than 3.9 million adults and children in Australia – it’s not well understood.
More about the basics – what is arthritis?

On this page

Online resources

Use our collection of videos, eLearning, webinars and info sheets to better understand and manage arthritis.

Chronic Pain

A collection of resources developed by Arthritis SA about ways to cope with chronic pain

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Good To Know

A collection of eLearning courses and webinars developed by Arthritis SA about pain, healthcare teams, and more

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Living Well

A collection of resources developed by Arthritis SA about living well with arthritis

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Understanding Arthritis

A collection of resources developed by Arthritis SA detailing different types of arthritis

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Multicultural fact sheets

A number of fact sheets have been translated into several languages and are available through the Arthritis Australia website.

Languages include Arabic, Chinese (Cantonese), Croatian, Greek, Italian, Korean, Macedonian, Persian, Spanish, and Vietnamese.

About Arthritis | Arthritis SA

Arthritis Matters Magazine

Download the latest publication as a PDF, or check out the back-catalogue.

Arthritis Matters Magazine is a regular publication from Arthritis SA.

In the magazine:

  • updates from the President and CEO
  • national and local news
  • current research
  • services information
  • personal stories
  • upcoming events and offers
  • more!

Annual Reports

Download the latest publication as a PDF, or check out the back-catalogue.

Annual Reports are the best place for organisational updates, financial information and major reporting. You’ll find all official Annual Reports back to 2015-16 at the link below.

Learn More

Choose a type of arthritis below to read more about it.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a condition that affects the whole joint including bone, cartilage, ligaments and muscles.

Osteoarthritis can affect any joint but occurs most often in the knees, hips, finger joints and big toe.

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Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that causes pain and swelling of the joints.

RA usually affects smaller joints, such as the joints in the hands and feet. However larger joints such as the hips and knees and also be affected.

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Ankylosing Spondylitis

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a condition that mainly affects the spine.

The joints of the neck, back and pelvis become inflamed, causing pain and stiffness.

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Gout

Gout is a common and painful condition that affects the joints.

Small crystals form in and around the joint, causing inflammation, pain and swelling.

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Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis is a condition that causes inflammation of the joints.

Usually only people who have a skin disease called psoriasis are affected by psoriatic arthritis.

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Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) refers to all types of arthritis that affect young people less than 16 years of age.

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Scleroderma

The word ‘scleroderma’ means ‘hard skin’.

Scleroderma affects the connective tissues of the body (tissues that hold together joints, muscles, blood vessels and internal organs).

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Other Types

  • Fibromyalgia
  • Haemochromatotic Arthritis
  • Polymyalgia Rheumatica
  • Reactive Arthritis
  • Ross River Virus & Barmah Forest Virus
More Info

Other Types

  • Sjögren’s Syndrome
  • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Lupus)
  • Spondyloarthritis
  • Osteoporosis
More Info