Arthritis Warning Symptoms: 5 Early Signs Of Arthritis You Shouldn’t Ignore

5 Early Signs Of Arthritis You Shouldn’t Ignore : Arthritis is a disease of the joints that can cause significant pain and compromise daily activities. The incidences of arthritis across the globe have witnessed a steady surge in recent times, and the credit goes to the sedentary lifestyle which mainly got triggered during the pandemic period. The condition is marked by severe inflammation of the joints. These joints are the areas where two bones meet, such as the knees, hips, elbows, and shoulders.

Arthritis pain can cause serious uncomfortableness amongst the patients with stiffness, swelling, and redness. In this article, Dr. Venuthrula Ram Mohan Reddy, Sr. Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Robotic and Navigation Surgeon, Lower Limb Services, Hip and Knee Surgery, Clinical Director, Yashoda Hospitals Hyderabad, tells us about the condition in detail and also what are the signs and symptoms that one may notice during its initial stages.

Arthritis: Understanding What Causes This Unusual Swelling And Inflammation

The commonest form of arthritis is usually in one or two joints in one individual due to aging. Special genetic and inflammatory arthritis can affect many joints in the same individual. Advanced arthritis might need surgeries like joint replacements.

Arthritis: Don’t Ignore These Early Warning Signs

It is essential to identify early signs and symptoms of arthritis so that timely treatment with medications can cure the disease and delay or prevent surgeries.

Pain In The Joints

The main symptom is usually pain in close proximity to joint-developing arthritis. In the lower limbs, the pain gets aggravated by weight bearing. Pain gets worse with walking on uneven surfaces, and climbing the stairs. Walking distance gets reduced with time and deterioration of arthritis. Sleep disturbance due to pain is one of the symptoms as the arthritis advances.

Joint Stiffness

Stiffness of the joints is another common symptom of early arthritis. Stiffness happens due to inflammation of the synovial membrane lining the joint.

Change In Joint Area

Deformity (change in shape) of the joints is usually a late sign of advanced arthritis. For example, in the knees, arthritis can cause knock knees or bowing of the legs.

There are some genetic and inflammatory arthritis diseases that can affect the young age group. These diseases should be identified early so that timely intervention with appropriate medication will control the disease progression and delay the destruction of the joint.

Muscle Cramps (Spasm)

Muscle spasms (cramps) above and below the affected joint are also an indication of arthritis. These muscle spasms typically happen at rest and therefore should not be ignored.

Unusual Joint Swelling

Swelling of the joints is a frequent symptom in early arthritis and is due to effusion (fluid collection) secondary to inflammation. In advanced arthritis, swelling can be due to effusion or due to significant deformity or osteophytes (new bone particles) formation.

Rheumatoid Arthritis: What You Need To Know

Genetic mutations can cause Rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It is an inflammatory arthritis due to HLA DR4 and DR1 factors affecting many joints in the body. RA can affect many individuals within the same family and also the successive generations. This disease usually starts in the small joints of the hands but subsequently affects the major joints in the rest of the body.

Pain, swelling, early morning stiffness, skin nodules, and gradual deformity of the fingers are the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis which are similar to aging arthritis as well. Other systems in the body like the lungs, kidneys, and eyes are also affected by RA.

Psoriasis

Psoriasis is another inflammatory arthritis similar to RA. In Psoriasis, there can be skin lesions with shiny scales, fingernails pitting, and sometimes excessive dandruff. It is essential to identify psoriasis early to prevent damage and destruction of articular cartilage.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS)

It is a genetic disease due to the HLA B27 factor. The symptoms and signs of arthritis in AS are similar to any other arthritis. In AS, pain, and stiffness in the spine are more common than in other arthritis

One should not ignore the early symptoms and signs of arthritis. It is essential to seek early treatment for arthritis so that daily activities are not compromised and delay the need for any major surgeries.

READ ALSO : Which Is Better: Collagen Pills Or Powder?