How to Recognize the Signs and Symptoms of Arthritis

Arthritis is a well-known disease that impacts millions of people each year, most commonly older individuals.

The signs and symptoms of arthritis may be one of the most recognizable set of symptoms, as they are solely involving the health of the individuals joints and bones. The severity of the symptoms of arthritis will vary from person to person, as there are different types of arthritis that will vary in harshness and will impact each individual differently.

What are the Common Symptoms of Arthritis?

As previously mentioned, arthritis has perhaps some of the most recognizable signs and symptoms, as they are straight forward and mostly impact the joints and bones of the individual’s body. Warning signs of this disease will vary and will affect the joints and the bones of each person differently. However, the most common signs and symptoms are:

• Pain that will range from dull to severe. This may impact the individual’s ability to achieve daily tasks or participate in physical activity as they used to. The pain may be on both sides of the body or one and will vary in frequency.
• Stiffness of the body and joints is similar to the pain that an individual will experience when they have arthritis. Much like pain, stiffness will limit an individual’s ability to move and accomplish daily tasks that they may have once been able to accomplish. This may also make it hard for them to walk, leaving them susceptible to bedrest.
• Redness of the skin may be a direct result of the pain and stiffness of the body. Redness is commonly found in the locations of the joints that are sore or stiff.
• Joints that are feeling sore and stiff may also become swollen, which will impact the individual’s ability to move freely as well.
• As aforementioned, range of motion and mobility may be affected by arthritis. Lack of ability to move around as freely as before is a symptom that is caused by other symptoms of this disease.

It is important to note that some of these symptoms may be overlooked as simply part of ‘growing older’ or just simply swept under the rug and chalked up to normal wear and tear. Although some people do experience these same symptoms naturally, if someone experiences these symptoms for a prolonged period of time, he or she should seek medical attention immediately. When these signs and symptoms are presented to medical professionals in the early stages of this disease, they are more likely to be treated successfully.