Early Warning Signs of Arthritis

Arthritis is the swelling, also referred to as inflammation, of one or more joints in the body. There are more than 100 conditions that arthritis describes, these affecting the joints, tissues around the joints, and other connective tissues. Arthritis typically sets on and worsens as we age. The most common form of arthritis, Osteoarthritis, is a degenerative disorder related to wear and tear on joints over time most notably affecting weight-bearing joints as well as thumb and finger joints. Inflammatory arthritis is an autoimmune disease and happens when a person’s immune system attacks healthy cells in the body by mistake and causes inflammation, a common example of this would be Rheumatoid arthritis.

Regardless of the cause of a person’s arthritis, there is no cure. Treatment options do exist and should be started early on. Knowing early signs of arthritis can help to combat the progression and severity it can lead to.

Know the early signs of Arthritis

Early Osteoarthritis symptoms

Osteoarthritis causes pain in the joints these being your hips, knees, and lower back mostly. You may experience stiffness upon awakening or after prolonged sitting or resting. Your joints may feel tender under applied pressure. You may feel loss of flexibly and not a full range of motion. Bone spurs which may feel like hard lumps can form around affected joints. Also, you may experience swelling in your joints.

Early Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms

Rheumatoid arthritis causes pain and swelling of the joints, most commonly the first affected are the fingers and toes. Most describe a stiffness feeling and having a long time to get these extremities moving, especially upon waking in the morning. This disease usually affects the body symmetrically, meaning that if your right thumb is painful usually your left will have similar symptoms.

If you feel you may have arthritis or want to find out more information, always contact or make an appointment with a medical professional. Only a licenses medical professional can diagnose and assesses your specific symptoms.

Learn more about the signs of Arthritis and take their interactive symptom checker to help the conversations with your medical professional.

Learn more: https://arthritis.ca/about-arthritis/signs-of-arthritis