Arthritis is one of the most prevalent chronic health problems, affecting an estimated 1 in 3 Americans.  It's also the nation's leading cause of disability.

Arthritis is actually an umbrella term used to define more than 100 medical conditions that affect the musculoskeletal system -- specifically the joints where two or more bones meet, like the knee. Knee replacement patient Robert Horton says, "I was sleeping with my legs in splints, keeping my legs straight because I had been on them and I was in a lot of pain and I finally decided after I couldn't walk across the yard anymore."

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. David Heligman says in it's earliest stages, arthritis can be treated without surgery. "And those options include activity modification, We usually try a coarse of anti inflammatory medicines sometimes we do cortisone injections, we have another medication called Viscal Supplementation, which we inject into the knee, which acts as a lubricant and the anti inflammatory medicines."

Dr. Heligman also says that when conservative treatments don't work and a patient's condition worsens, oftentimes people who suffer from arthritis often consider joint replacement surgery. "The whole goal behind knee and hip replacements is to improve your quality of life. And by doing the knee or hip knee replacement we can get back to playing golf or playing tennis or really anything they like."

After Robert's gone through knee replacement surgery, his only questions is why he didn't have it done sooner. "It's great! I'm working again, I'm back to work." And that's great news for Robert since arthritis is one of the leading causes work disability in our country.

Arthritis symptoms usually begin after the age of 40 and can develop gradually or suddenly.