Swollen and stiff joints? Hearing a disconcerting cracking sound when you move? Struggling to bend and stretch one or more of your joints? While it’s not necessarily the case, these symptoms can be early signs of arthritis. We know that’s probably not what you want to hear, but catching arthritis early can help you get it under control, manage your symptoms and improve your quality of life. Here are seven early signs to watch out for if you suspect that you might have arthritis.
What is arthritis?
The word arthritis literally means joint inflammation. It is an umbrella term for over 100 chronic pain conditions that affect the joints. These conditions include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, psoriatic arthritis, and reactive arthritis.
Osteoarthritis (OA) can occur when the cartilage (the flexible tissue that cushions your joints from your bones and stops them rubbing together) wears down, causing potential stiffness, pain, and loss of mobility. Other forms of arthritis, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), are autoimmune conditions where the body’s immune system starts attacking healthy cells, including the joints. Arthritis is typically associated with older people, and indeed 60% of 50-80 year olds have been told that they have a form of arthritis, but it can affect people of all ages, including children. So how can you spot the early signs of arthritis?
1. Joint Pain
Early signs of arthritis can manifest as pain in one or more joints that gradually gets worse over time. The pain may come during bouts of physical activity, or at the start or end of the day. “The joint is painful, often aching,” says Dr Deborah Lee, Dr Fox Online Pharmacy. “The pain is often made worse by using the joint and better when it is rested. If it is in the knee, this can lock and give way. Pain tends to be worse at the end of the day. Sufferers use a wide range of descriptions of OA pain. In one study it was described as ‘crushing’ ‘twisted fingers’, ‘pricking’, or ‘burning’.” It’s important to remember that not all joint pain is arthritis – it may be a minor injury or a sign of overuse.
Rheumatoid arthritis may feel a little different. “In medical studies, early RA sufferers said that the pain could be ‘vague’ or ‘mild’,” says Dr Lee. “Many initially regarded it as ‘old age’, and ‘twinges’ and said it was ‘a nuisance’. In some, the pain then rapidly got much worse, causing them to seek help. This has been described as being ‘like a light switch’ – once the switch had been flicked the pain was unbearable. Some have said they thought they had ‘chipped or broken a bone,’ because the pain was so bad. The pain did come and go. In the early stages, the pain was most often felt in the toes and feet.”
When you’re concerned about the early signs of arthritis, it can be helpful to keep a diary of your symptoms. This can make it easier to identify common patterns, which you can then present to your doctor.
Ask yourself:
- Does it feel like your joint pain is getting worse over time?
- How does the pain feel?
When do you notice the pain? At night, after being active?
2. Joint swelling and tenderness
Swelling may feel warm, the area might look inflamed, and it could be tender – which is where an affected area hurts if you press down on it. This is a possible symptom of various forms of arthritis, but it is particularly indicative of rheumatoid arthritis.
Ask yourself:
- Is the area warm, inflamed or painful to touch?
How long does the pain last?
3. Joint stiffness, especially in the morning
“Stiffness is often a major feature of arthritis,” says Dr Deborah Lee. “It is typically worse when waking in the morning but does not last more than 30 minutes. It loosens up with moving around.” Joint stiffness, particularly when you first get up and after periods of rest, is a common early sign of arthritis. Morning stiffness stemming from osteoarthritis may only last half an hour after waking up, whereas stiffness resulting from rheumatoid arthritis may last longer. If you find your joints are stiff when you first wake up, try using a heat pack on the affected area to see if that helps. Regular exercise is really important for pain management and prevention when you have osteoarthritis, particularly if you are overweight as that can put further pressure on the joints.
Ask yourself:
- Are your joints regularly stiff?
Is the stiffness worse in the morning or after periods of sitting down?
4. Grinding or cracking sounds when you move the joint
Crepitus refers to a feeling or noise that you experience when you move your joints. If you’re hearing grinding or cracking sounds when you move your joints, this may be because the cartilage has worn down.
Ask yourself:
- Are you regularly hearing cracking or grinding sounds when you move your joints?
- How long has this been going on for?
- Are the sounds accompanied by pain?
5. Reduced range of motion
If you have arthritis, it may be harder to fully bend or stretch the affected area. This limited range could be due to damaged cartilage, inflammation or a result of stiffness.
Ask yourself:
- Is it harder to complete certain movements than it used to be?
- How much is this affecting your daily activities?
Are you often experiencing reduced range of motion, or is it usually after doing specific activities?
6. Deferred pain
The pain of arthritis does not just affect the joint in question: it can also affect nearby areas. For example, pain from arthritis in the hip can sometimes be felt in the buttocks, groin, thigh or knee. Arthritis in the foot can also affect the hips, glutes, and back. Lower back pain as a result of arthritis can also be felt in the knees.
Ask yourself:
- Do you feel pain when doing specific activities?
- Which parts of your body are hurting? Are they usually the same areas?
- Are you experiencing pain from the above areas?
7. Fatigue
While not a core symptom of arthritis, people experiencing the early signs of inflammatory arthritis may feel more tired than usual because of their immune systems overactivity. Arthritis can also make you tired because being in pain can make it harder to sleep and exercise, which can leave you feeling drained.
“Around 75% of RA sufferers experience fatigue,” says Dr Lee. “50% of RA patients regularly experience fatigue, at a level of around 5 out of 10. This may be for several reasons. Inflammation in RA means the level of inflammatory cytokines (cell-signalling molecules) is raised, which is linked to fatigue. In addition, poor sleep and depression also cause fatigue. Daily living tasks such as getting dressed and travelling to work are harder for those with RA, making patients tired. RA treatments also have systemic effects which can cause fatigue. Worsening fatigue is linked to RA flare-ups. Acute gout can also be associated with fever, chills and fatigue.”
Ask yourself:
- Are you feeling more tired than usual?
- How long have you been experiencing fatigue?
- Is there another reason you might be tired (e.g. life stressors keeping you awake)
- Are you getting as much sleep as you usually get and still feeling more tired than usual?
What if I do have arthritis?
Getting an early diagnosis is really important for slowing or stopping its progression and learning how to manage the condition. While there is no cure for arthritis, things like exercise, medication, alternative therapies and topical treatments such as FlexiSEQ – a drug free gel that lubricates the cartilage in joints to relieve pain and stiffness and improve impaired joint function associated with all stages of osteoarthritis – can all help you ease the symptoms and preserve your quality of life.
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