Arthritis Symptoms: Signs You Might Have It

Symptoms of osteoarthritis may include:

• Joint pain
• Stiffness when you wake up or after you’ve been sitting for a while
• Tenderness, the area is sore when you touch it
• Lack of movement, the joint won’t complete its full range of motion
• Grating, you might feel things rubbing together inside the joint
• Bone spurs, lumps of bone form around the joint

Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis may include:

• Joint pain, swelling and tenderness for 6 weeks or longer
• Morning stiffness for at least 30 minutes
• More than one joint affected, especially small joints in your hands, wrists, and feet
• The same joints on both sides of the body are affected

Symptoms of Infectious Arthritis

Symptoms of infectious arthritis may include:

• Fever
• Chills
• Joint inflammation
• Tenderness
• Sharp pain that is related to an injury or infection elsewhere in your body.

Call Your Doctor About Arthritis If:

• The pain and stiffness come on quickly for no apparent reason.
• The pain comes with a fever.
• The pain develops quickly and is related to redness and extreme tenderness of the joint.
• You notice pain and stiffness in your arms, legs, or back after sitting for short periods or after a night’s sleep.
• You have swollen or painful joints for more than 2 weeks.
• You have limited motion in joints for more than 2 weeks.