Research Topic · Peer-Reviewed

Joint Disease

Joint disease, or arthropathy, encompasses the broad range of conditions that affect the articulating surfaces, cartilage, synovium, and surrounding structures of the joints, producing pain, stiffness, swelling, and impaired mobility. The major categories include degenerative joint disease, principally osteoarthriti…

Curated from this journal's research 📚 12 peer-reviewed articles cited Cited 25× across the literature 🗓 Reviewed June 2026

Overview

Joint disease, or arthropathy, encompasses the broad range of conditions that affect the articulating surfaces, cartilage, synovium, and surrounding structures of the joints, producing pain, stiffness, swelling, and impaired mobility. The major categories include degenerative joint disease, principally osteoarthritis, in which progressive loss of articular cartilage, subchondral bone change, and low-grade inflammation lead to mechanical dysfunction; inflammatory arthritides such as rheumatoid arthritis, driven by autoimmune synovial inflammation; and crystal-induced, infectious, and metabolic arthropathies. Osteoarthritis, the most prevalent form, is strongly associated with aging and is influenced by mechanical load, body composition, intramuscular and adipose fat, vitamin D status, and systemic factors, and it carries substantial consequences for physical function, falls, frailty, mood, and quality of life. Left unmanaged, joint disease can cause permanent damage and disability, whereas early recognition and multimodal management can slow progression and relieve symptoms. Themes in the associated literature include osteoarthritis and its links to falls, frailty, depression, loneliness, and social isolation, the role of vitamin D in osteoarthritis-related outcomes and sarcopenia, intramuscular fat deposition and osteoarthritis pathology, electromagnetic-field interventions, health literacy and self-management, exercise such as Tai Chi for painful knee osteoarthritis, and clinical trials of arthritis therapies. This journal publishes peer-reviewed research on arthritis, osteoarthritis, and the broader spectrum of joint disease and its management.

Research published in this journal

12 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.

How this research is being cited

The 12 articles above have been cited 25 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.

A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Joint Disease, linking to each citing work.

Editorial oversight

Curated from peer-reviewed research published in Arthritis Research and Therapy.

Journal editorial board
Roberto Paganelli · Italy Riccardi Carlo · Italy Helena Idborg · Sweden

This page summarises published research for orientation; it is not medical or professional advice.