Did you know that 1 in 5 people above the age of 18 have arthritis and 1 in 250 children have arthritis? That's a lot of people and no one really talks about it.

We all know someone who has or has had arthritis but sadly, it is often thought of as that disease where your joints ache or the thing that only old people get, but it's so much more than that. While that may be one of the many side effects, others include a clicking sound when joints are moved, swelling, and excessive pain after movement or physical activity... and that's just Osteoarthritis.

There are more than 100 types of arthritis with the most common/well known being rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Arthritis is also the number one cause of disability, so why aren't we talking about it more? We talk about heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity, but those things all have one thing in common. They all have a connection with arthritis. So if we're talking about those diseases, why aren't we talking about arthritis? The disease that causes over one million knee and hip replacements per year. The disease that ensures wage losses totaling 156 billion dollars for working people that are diagnosed. And finally, the disease that causes nearly seven million hospitalizations per year.

I am proud to be part of an organization, Alpha Omicron Pi, that in 2014 raised over $500,000 for the Arthritis Foundation. An organization that participates in multiple different fundraising events each year in order to raise money for this cause. To talk to people about this disease and to teach people about its effects, that's what we stand for. We all know someone who has or has had arthritis.

The Arthritis Foundation has a page called "Fight For 50", 50 meaning the 50 million people affected by arthritis. This page is where you can read stories from fighters themselves and their families. Many of the stories told are that of children, teens and young adults. You can also donate to the Arthritis Foundation directly through this page.

Arthritis can be caused by damage to the cartilage in your joints. It can be broken down due to normal wear and tear, which is the cause of osteoarthritis. Rheumatoid Arthritis, on the other hand, is an autoimmune disorder and causes the immune system to attack the soft tissues within the body. There is no cure for arthritis, but there are medicines and treatments that are helping to make it a livable disease. The are also surgeries to replace hips and knees that have been destroyed by arthritis, the medicines, the therapies, they're just treatments, not permanent solutions.

I am not a doctor by any means, so to learn more about Arthritis and its effects on kids, the elderly and every age between click here.