ABSTRACT
A traditional approach to arthritis would probably start with the most common types of disease and then go on to describe the rarer ones. Degenerative arthritis, or osteoarthritis, is the most common form of hypertrophic arthritis seen mainly in large, weight-bearing joints in older patients. The superior aspect of the hip joint is the weight-bearing surface; hence, pure degenerative arthritis manifests itself clinically by narrowing of the superior part of the joint with sclerosis, osteophyte formation, and lateral migration of the femoral head. Most of the erosive arthritides such as juvenile chronic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis cause central destruction of the joint cartilage in the hip. Degenerative arthritis in the small bones of the foot can be seen as a result of mechanical problems in the foot, such as pes planus, pes cavus, and metatarsus varus. Rheumatoid arthritis has an insidious onset and starts with fatigue and malaise, and the patient will complain of diffuse musculoskeletal pain.
