RA vs OA

"Isn't that what old people get?"

Nuh-uh. I'm really sick and tired of indifference and insensitivity sometimes. I think i should never reveal that i have RA unless being questioned.

(Am gonna explain this in a really layman manner)

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition whereby the cartilage(the shock absorber and cushion) in the joints 'wear off', resulting in the 2 ends of the bone 'rubbing' each other, causing pain and discomfort. It's a condition that many elderly people get. People in their late teens or early adulthood can also get it from sports or sport injuries. It's basically a 'wear and tear' form of arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease whereby the body's immune system attacks the body's own tissues(in this incidence, joint tissues). It can also attack other parts of the body apart from the joints. It causes swelling in the joint capsules and can result in erosion and deformities in the joints. So to speak, OA can result from the eroding process of RA. RA can involve many joints- fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees, ankles, toes, neck, back etc. This cannot be cured. It canonly be curbed with medications, but some people still become disabled. Oh. And our lives are generally a little shorter than average.


I feel particularly offended when someone with only knee OA tells me that he/she knows exactly how i feel, because it's NOT what it seems to be. OA pain is NOT the same as RA, disregarding differences in personal pain threshold. As much as the person is empathizing with me, i feel insulted. I too feel aggravated when someone with knee OA tells me that he/she can't use the stairs or exercise. Because even i do, when my knees are having a bad day. I even dance on my bad flare days.

Methinks, some people with OA are just lazy and find excuses with it. I'm not generalising- i know there OA-ers who are very proactive despite their OA. But i know more RA-ers who really want to exercise but cannot due to their disease process.