Symptoms of Arthritis

Arthritis is a painful and debilitating condition that affects the body’s joints and can limit one’s ability to function normally. It is one of the most common medical disorders and affects approximately one in every seven of all Americans.

Understanding Symptoms of Arthritis

One of the keys to managing the pain associated with arthritis and treating the condition itself is to properly identify it at its onset. By understanding the basic symptoms of arthritis one will be better equipped to seek the proper methods of pain management and treatment.

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Identifying Symptoms of Arthritis

One of the keys to managing the pain associated with arthritis and treating the condition itself is to properly identify it at its onset. By understanding the basic symptoms of arthritis one will be better equipped to seek the proper methods of pain management and treatment.

Although there are many variations of arthritis and everybody tends to experience unique pain symptoms, there are general symptoms of arthritis associated with all forms of the condition, including:

• Pain
• A loss of movement
• Some inflammation around the joints.
• Symptoms of arthritis also tend to affect the muscles and the body’s connective tissues, including the tendons, ligaments and cartilage.
• Other symptoms of arthritis include stiffness, tenderness and swelling in certain joints.
• People suffering from the condition often complain of ongoing fatigue and an overall aching in the morning.

Osteoarthritis Symptoms

Since arthritis is a generic term applied to over 100 different disorders involving the joints, various forms of the condition have their own unique symptoms. One example is osteoarthritis:

• Osteoarthritis symptoms typically come on slowly, beginning with a dull achy and sore feeling.
• Over time pain, stiffness and soreness increase, often limiting one’s range of motion.
• Common indicators also include a grating sound that can be heard during movement as the bones of a joint grind against each other.

The QualityHealth Difference

Being able to recognize the symptoms of arthritis is the first step to seeking pain management and proper arthritis treatment. Understanding that a general feeling of soreness or stiffness may be the initial signs of the onset of arthritis is of paramount importance to being able to successfully live with the condition. Whether these signs have just come on or have been noticeable for some time, it is highly advised one immediately seek the opinion of a medical professional.

Join QualityHealth today to get instant, around the clock access to in-depth expert advice on managing osteoarthritis symptoms and much more- so you can live a healthy and happy life.

Review Date: 12/21/2006
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital.

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