So there is this stigma out there that arthritis of any type is only an old person disease or “thing”. I can bet you a dollar that any young person like 30’s and below who have some type of arthritis will or have been asked the most annoying question ever “Aren’t you too young to have arthritis?”
Now you maybe thinking why this is it an annoying question, they are just asking a us a question right? Well to us with chronic illness it’s more than that, it is a reminder of not being diagnosed for years due to age and gender or another reminder that they are stuck with this for life. For me personally it’s a reminder that because I am a young women in her 20’s that I have to be that more convincing to a new medical professional that something is wrong with me for them to actually take me serious. Which is extremely frustrating and sad. Especially when they pass you off to another medical professional after a blood tests come back normal.
According to the CDC, the majority of people that are diagnosis with a type of arthritis both autoimmune inflammatory and degenerative (Osteoarthritis) are younger than the age of 65 years old! Osteoarthritis usually starts to occur around the age of 40 years old. While autoimmune inflammatory arthritis (Rheumatoid arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis,Psoriatic Arthritis,etc) can happen at any ages, even kids can get juvenile arthritis (RA but in kids). Arthritis can be equally debilitating for a young person as it is in the elderly.
So I hope now you realize that anyone can have a type of arthritis at any point of their life. No one is too young or old.
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The Average Spoonie 