Symptoms of Arthritis

Different types of arthritis and rheumatic diseases have different signs and symptoms. In general, people who have arthritis feel pain and stiffness in the joints. Some of the more common symptoms are listed in the below. Early diagnosis and treatment help decrease further joint damage and help control symptoms of arthritis and many other rheumatic diseases.

These symptoms can be indicitive of various forms of arthritis.

•   Tender, warm, swollen joints
•   Symmetrical pattern of affected joints
•   Joint inflammation often affecting the wrist and finger joints closest to the hand
•   Joint inflammation sometimes affecting other joints, including the neck, shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, ankles, and feet
•   Fatigue, occasional fevers, a general sense of not feeling well
•   Pain and stiffness lasting for more than 30 minutes in the morning or after a long rest
•   Stiffness in a joint after getting out of bed or sitting for a long time
•   Swelling in one or more joints
•   Crunching feeling or the sound of bone rubbing on bone