Autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, are among the great mysteries of modern medicine. The cause of RA is unknown, and there’s no cure. The condition can strike at any age, sometimes affecting the very young, and it can be debilitating if left untreated.

If you’ve experienced some unusual health symptoms lately, use this guide to help determine if you should see your doctor about a possible case of rheumatoid arthritis.

Joint Pain

This is the most prominent symptom that might make you fear you have arthritis. Joint pain is particularly worrisome if you experience pain in multiple joints, such as both knees at the same time, with no known cause.

Locking Joints

You might experience this symptom in the early stages before you’ve been diagnosed. Your elbows and knees are the most likely joints to lock up as a result of swelling that inhibits normal movement.

Joint Swelling

Sometimes, inflammation becomes visible from the outside, causing your joints to swell and feel unusually warm to the touch. This symptom of an RA flare-up becomes more likely as the disease progresses.

Morning Stiffness

It’s not uncommon for older adults to feel stiff when they wake up in the morning, but it’s more unusual for young, healthy people to experience this symptom. Since rheumatoid arthritis can affect people of all ages, you may experience this symptom as an early sign of RA.

Fatigue & Feeling Generally Unwell

While feeling tired, worn out, and achy are symptoms of countless diseases, fatigue tends to be one of the earliest signs of rheumatoid arthritis. It may occur weeks or even months before any other symptoms appear.

Dry Eyes

As an autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis causes the body to attack itself. Unlike osteoarthritis, this means the condition affects much more than just your joints. Take the eyes, for example. Having RA makes you more likely to develop a disease called Sjogren’s syndrome, which causes excessive dryness of the eyes, nose, mouth, and throat.

Injuries That Never Heal

If you sprained your ankle or injured your knee while playing sports several weeks back, your joint should be feeling better by now, assuming you treated the injury properly and gave it a chance to heal. However, persistent pain and injuries that linger longer than they should are one of the signs you may have rheumatoid arthritis. This symptom is especially common in young people with the disease.

Tingling or Numbness in Your Hands

RA is associated with inflammation, which may compress the nerves in your hands and arms, causing tingling or numbness as a result. Even if your joints don’t hurt yet, this could be a sign of rheumatoid arthritis.

Nodules on the Skin

Firm lumps, or nodules, may appear on your skin near joints affected by RA. The elbow is a common spot for nodules to appear, although they can form almost anywhere. You’re most likely to experience this symptom if you have advanced rheumatoid arthritis, but it’s also not unheard of during earlier stages of the disease.

Foot Pain

Many diseases cause foot pain, so this symptom alone isn’t enough to tell whether you have rheumatoid arthritis. Still, be aware that problems in the front area of the foot are common for people with RA.

Receive Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment at Spine Correction Center

While experiencing the above symptoms are definitely signs you may have rheumatoid arthritis, you should never attempt to self-diagnose your condition. Instead, visit Spine Correction Center in Fort Collins for a free consultation that can reveal a lot about your health. To learn more, or to schedule an appointment, please contact us online or call (970) 658-5115 today.