Forty-six million Americans suffer from some form of arthritis, which is the most common cause of disability in the U.S., limiting the activities of nearly 19 million adults.

How can you recognize arthritis? Well if you feel pain and stiffness in your body or have trouble moving around, you might have arthritis. Most kinds of arthritis cause pain and swelling in your joints. Over time, a swollen joint becomes severely damaged, but the negative impact on your body doesn’t end here, as some kinds of arthritis can also cause problems in your organs, such as your eyes or skin.

What causes arthritis is hard to determine, because, often, several factors contribute to an individual developing this common problem. Some of the risk factors of arthritis include genetics, age, weight, previous injury, occupational hazards, some high-level sports, illness or infection.

Now, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suffering from diabetes also results in arthritis.

Dr. John Klippel, president of the Arthritis Foundation, said the survey of nearly 800,000 people is the first look at the connection between arthritis and diabetes. The reasons why some people with diabetes also have arthritis are not clear yet. However, Dr. Klippel named as possible explanation obesity, which is a risk factor for both osteoarthritis and diabetes.

The study, based on data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (2005-2007), found that 29.8 percent of people with both diabetes and arthritis were more likely to have a sedentary life, compared with 21 percent of those who only have diabetes, 17.3 percent of those with arthritis alone, and 10.9 percent of those with neither condition.

Moreover, 51.8 percent of adults suffering from diabetes also have arthritis, the study found. Also, arthritis hits 36.4 percent of the general population and 62.4 percent of diabetes patients 65 and older.

According to the CDC, any kind of physical activity is good for people suffering from both diseases. In fact, Dr. Klippel said that health experts should highlight as much as possible the importance of keeping physically active in arthritis-suffering people, as exercising actually reduces pain and prevents the disease from progressing.

Moreover, the Diabetes Foundation recommends people with both conditions taking a walk at least three days a week in order to keep themselves physically active. It is already known that people with diabetes who exercise, succeed to have a better control of their blood sugar and a much lower risk of heart disease complications. They also succeed to keep their weight under control. Lower weight means lower pressure on the joints of those suffering from arthritis.

To improve the quality of life in the case of people suffering from arthritis, the CDC Arthritis Program is working with states and other partners to increase awareness about appropriate arthritis self-management activities and expanding the reach of programs proven to improve the quality of life for people with arthritis.

However, the message is as clear as possible. Self-directed physical activities, including joint-friendly activities such as walking, swimming, biking or any kind of physical activity also are appropriate for adults with both diabetes and arthritis.