Condition Fact Sheets

Polymyalgia Rheumatica is a chronic disease marked by pain and stiffness in both shoulders, with or without hip girdle pain and stiffness. This pain and stiffness is caused by inflammation of the joints.

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Psoriatic arthritis is a form of inflammatory arthritis that causes pain and swelling in joints – and around joints. It often, but not always, affects people who already have a skin condition called psoriasis

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Hypermobility Syndrome is when a person’s joints can move beyond what is considered a normal range of movement. This increased mobility of joints can cause pain, sprains and dislocations in the body. Hypermobility is not a disease, but instead it is a combination of flexibility of the connective tissues and altered state of the sensory motor systems of the body to regulate and control movement.

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Ankylosing spondylitis is a rheumatoid condition in which the spine and sacroiliac joint become painful and inflamed.

Inflammation occurs at the places where ligaments or tendons attach to the bone. This is known as enthesis.
Repeated bouts of this inflammatory process and the development of additional bone can cause joint spaces to become narrower and movement to become more restricted over time.

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Fibromyalgia, is a complex rheumatoid condition that can be characterized by widespread regions of pain, and is often accompanied by fatigue, memory problems, and sleep disturbances.

There is no known cause of Fibromyalgia but clinically, increased nervous system sensitivity and lowered sensation tolerances to normal stimulus, go some way to explain the symptoms experienced by people with fibromyalgia.

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In Rheumatoid Arthritis, the immune system affects the tissue lining of the joints (or synovial membrane), causing varying levels of inflammation, pain, swelling and stiffness. Most often RA affects both sides of the body at the same time and more commonly, the joints of the hands and feet. The shoulders, knees and spine can also be affected.

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