Definitions - Made Simple

Chronic means long / ongoing with little or slow change / progression

Acute means sudden and intense and/or short term in onset

Juvenile onset - means onset at age 16 or less

Arthralgia means symptoms of pain in the joints with little to find on examination.

Myalgia means symptoms of pain in the muscles.

Polyarthritis means inflammation in the many joints - by definition 4 or more.

Oligoarthritis means inflammation in few joints - by definition 3 or less.

Monoarthritis means inflammation in one joint.

Bursitis is inflammation of the bursae - sacs of fluid that lie adjacent to certain tendons insertion's into bone.

Tendonitis means inflammation of the tendon / tendon sheaths ( tenosynovitis).

Enthesitis means inflammation at the site of tendon insertion into bone.

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