I am going to be running the London Marathon in April on behalf of the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society.

My wife was recently diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis and her Mum has suffered with the disease for over 20 years. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in your joints. The main symptoms are joint pain and swelling. It’s the second most common form of arthritis in the UK.

Rheumatoid arthritis causes inflammation in the synovium. The result is very similar to inflammation that you may have seen if you’ve had an infected cut or wound – it goes red, swells, produces extra fluid and hurts. The redness is caused by the flow of blood increasing. As a result, the inflamed joint may feel warmer than usual. The inflammation is caused by a build-up of fluid and cells in the synovium. 

Your joint hurts because your nerve endings are irritated by the chemicals produced by the inflammation and the capsule is stretched by the swelling in your joint. When the inflammation goes down, the capsule remains stretched and can’t hold your joint in its proper position. This can make your joint unstable, and it can move into unusual or deformed positions. Some damage is done to the joints every time they're inflamed, and the joint can be worn away after repeated flare-ups.

The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) is here to support all those living with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) to allow them to live their lives to the full. Visit their website at www.nras.org.uk. 

You can make a donation through my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.

Many Thanks

Adam