The most common symptoms are pain and stiffness of the joints. These sensations are usually worse with activity initially but can be more constant in later disease. These symptoms may affect your ability to do normal daily activities, such as walking, climbing stairs and opening jars.
Warning Signs
Pain from arthritis can be constant or it may come and go. It may occur when at rest or while moving. Pain may be in one part of the body or in many different parts. Some types of arthritis cause the skin over the affected joint to become red and swollen, feeling warm to the touch.
There are many forms of inflammatory arthritis; signs that are typical for most include: Pain, swelling and stiffness in one or multiple joints. Morning stiffness in and around the affected joints lasting at least one hour.
The pain may vary from an odd ache to a constant gnawing pain. The pain is usually not felt first thing in the morning, but it will come on with any type of activity during the day. The pain can be severe and may affect your ability to walk. Limping is not an uncommon feature of osteoarthritic pain.
Gout is an extremely painful type of arthritis caused by a buildup, overflow and/or inability to process uric acid.
Many people who have arthritis or a related disease may be living with chronic pain. Pain is chronic when it lasts three to six months or longer, but arthritis pain can last a lifetime. It may be constant, or it may come and go.
The suspected triggers for a flare are stress, weight gain, physical trauma, joint strain, infection and medications.
Rheumatoid arthritis often starts in the small joints of the hands and feet, and it can affect the same joints on both sides of the body at the same time. It can start quite slowly and then gradually get worse, or it can start more aggressively. Rheumatoid arthritis can affect adults of any age.
Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
NSAIDs are the most effective oral medicines for OA. They include ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil) naproxen (Aleve) and diclofenac (Voltaren, others). All work by blocking enzymes that cause pain and swelling.
Inflammatory arthritis includes a group of arthritis accompanied by joint pain, swelling, warmth, and tenderness in the joints, and morning stiffness that lasts for an hour.
RA is symmetrical, where a patient feels symptoms in the same spot on both sides of the body, often in the joints in the feet and hands. Osteoarthritis, in contrast, begins in an isolated joint, often in the knee, fingers, hands, spine and hips. While both sides may hurt, one side is more painful.
Rheumatoid arthritis
Inflammation begins in the joint lining and then damages both cartilage and bone. Rheumatoid arthritis often affects the same joints on both sides of the body. Hands, wrists, feet, knees, ankles, shoulders and elbows can be affected. Rheumatoid arthritis is more common in women than in men.
What to do. Over-the-counter pain medications, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or naproxen sodium (Aleve) can help relieve occasional pain triggered by activity your muscles and joints aren't used to — such as gardening after a winter indoors.
Ask anyone with arthritis and they'll tell you: The best thing you can do for your arthritis is to keep moving. However, when you are experiencing a flare, sometimes the best thing you can do for your arthritis is rest and allow your body to recharge.
If you have arthritis, participating in joint-friendly physical activity can improve your arthritis pain, function, mood, and quality of life. Joint-friendly physical activities are low-impact, which means they put less stress on the body, reducing the risk of injury.
X-Ray. X-rays give a two-dimensional picture of your joints. They show joint space narrowing (a sign of arthritis), erosions, fractures, lower-than normal bone density and bone spurs.
Your doctor may recommend X-rays to help track the progression of rheumatoid arthritis in your joints over time. MRI and ultrasound tests can help your doctor judge the severity of the disease in your body.
A person's arthritis inflammation and pain may worsen if: they are already in pain when they go to bed. their mattress or pillow puts pressure on their joints and irritates their arthritis. they have other risk factors for insomnia, such as high stress levels or drinking caffeine before bed.
RA and OA can cause some of the same symptoms, including: joint pain. stiffness in joints. swelling, which is more severe in RA.
Arthritis, derived from Greek for “disease of the joints,” is the chronic or acute inflammation of joints, which is often accompanied by structural damage and pain. In contrast, rheumatism is an informal term used to describe joint diseases or syndromes. Medical literature does not generally use the term rheumatism.
The main difference between osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis is the cause behind the joint symptoms. Osteoarthritis is caused by mechanical wear and tear on joints. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the body's own immune system attacks the body's joints. It may begin any time in life.