Inflammation is characterized by erythema, warmth, pain, and edema. Acute inflammation generally occurs in response to an injury or introduction of foreign material at a specific site and is an important part of wound healing. Chronic inflammation is usually associated with a systemic disease process, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and itself can be a major source of disability. When inflammation affects the joints of the musculoskeletal system, it most often affects the synovial membrane,resulting ina condition calledsynovitis. Inflammation may also affect tendons or tendon sheaths (tendinitis); it also can occur extra-articularly in bursae (bursitis). While acute inflammation is often...
