8 Early Arthritis Symptoms and Warning Signs

Could you be at risk of contracting arthritis? Arthritis is a condition that affects your immune system, which inflames the joints and makes movement excruciatingly painful. The pain mainly occurs around your feet, your wrists, and your hands.

Several factors could predispose you to rheumatoid arthritis. The early arthritis symptoms are subtle and can be easily confused with the signs for other diseases. If you are uncomfortable with how your body feels, you should seek a professional diagnosis as early as possible. If left unmanaged and untreated, arthritis can damage bones, joints, and the cartilage.

Although arthritis has no full cure, you can reduce its attacks on your joints by seeking physiotherapy treatment. If managed consistently, further damage to the joints can be thwarted. Below are eight early arthritis symptoms that serve as warning signs in your body:

1. Painful Joints

When you notice an inexplicable pain in your joints, this is perhaps the most compelling sign of early arthritis symptoms. You will usually find the pain concentrated in your hands and your feet. This occurs because the joint's lining becomes thicker as the inflammation sets in, resulting in excess joint fluid production. Consequently, pressure is exerted on the capsule surrounding the joint, which traumatizes its nerve ending and causes pain in your body.

2. Tender Joints

In addition, you may also feel tenderness in your joints. If your hands are affected, the joints at the base of your fingers could feel unusually tender when you move or press them. If your feet are affected, the joints around your toes could be tender and more susceptible to soreness. As a result, you may feel the need to lift your toes or walk on your heels in order to minimize this pain.

3. Stiff Joints

When you have arthritis, you may have difficulty bending or straightening your fingers. Joint stiffness is typical of early arthritis symptoms. This often occurs in one or two joints around your fingers, although it may also affect various parts of your body.

The stiffness develops slowly and lasts for a couple of days, fading in and out from time to time. Many people experience this stiffness after being still for a prolonged period, such as sleeping through the night. For this reason, morning stiffness is a common complaint among people with arthritis.

4. Swollen Joints

As the joints get inflamed, you might start feeling warm around the affected areas. After a while, these areas might become swollen, which could intensify as the arthritis progresses. There may also be a redness around the swollen body parts, which happens because the inflammation widens the blood vessels around the skin. This allows for more blood to flow into the affected areas, causing your skin to look red as a result.

5. Numbness

Do your hands or your feet feel numb sometimes? People with arthritis have reported a numbing or tingling sensation in their body at the onset of the disease. Like many arthritis symptoms on the list, numbness is not specifically exclusive to this condition, but it could still serve as a warning sign. If the numbness is followed by inflamed joints, a loss of sensation and nerve compression, there is a likely chance that you have arthritis.

6. Fatigue

Fatigue is one of those arthritis symptoms with subtle consequences that trickle into your everyday life. You may suddenly start feeling tired when engaging in daily activities. You could have less productivity at work. Your sex drive might also take a hit. If you experience an inexplicable fatigue, even with adequate sleep and rest, you could be in the early stages of arthritis.

However, don't assume that you have arthritis just because you feel fatigued. You could be sleepy and tired for various reasons, but still be perfectly okay in terms of your chiropractic health.

7. Mild Fever

People with arthritis usually feel feverish. Once again, a fever doesn’t mean you have arthritis. It could be a result of something completely unrelated, and only a qualified diagnosis could settle the matter. However, if you have a slightly elevated temperature, which could be accompanied by fatigue, there’s chance arthritis could be the culprit. The fever can show up long before other apparent arthritis symptoms appear.

8. Weight Loss

Sometimes, the joint inflammation could lead to weight loss. This phenomenon is attributed to the combination of various arthritis symptoms that you might be exhibiting. A fatigued and feverish individual is more likely to lose their appetite, which could lead to a potential weight loss. Any sudden weight loss is a cause for concern, so make sure you check with a qualified physician to identify other underlying problems in your body.