Symptoms of Arthritis

Arthritis is a condition associated with the tenderness and swelling of one or more joints. Different types of arthritis are associated with various symptoms. The symptoms can be severe in some people and mild in others. Arthritis develops with the existence of bone breakdown, especially the cartilage. Since the cartilage protects and allows joints to move smoothly, this breakdown contributes to arthritis. Cartilage breakdown creates stiffness and inflammation of the bones, causing arthritis.

One major symptom experienced by arthritis patients is anxiety and depression. Studies have shown that people diagnosed with arthritis have the highest pain levels contributing to anxiety and depression. Anxiety and depression are triggered by pain experienced by the patient. Living with pain daily can be emotionally and physically stressful (Jeong et al., 2021). Chronic stress changes the patient’s level of nervous and brain system chemicals. Major stress hormones such as cortisol and serotonin affect the patient’s mood, behavior, and thinking. In addition, depression weakens an individual’s ability to handle or cope with pain. As a result, people who have arthritis are likely to experience mental health problems such as mood changes, stress, anxiety, and depression.

People diagnosed with arthritis also suffer redness in various parts of the body. Reactive arthritis causes swelling and redness of different body parts, especially the toes, hips, feet, knees, and ankles. The patient is likely to develop patches that appear red with a violet hue on darker skin tones. These red patches may appear as multiple pinpoint dots around the toes and fingers. The inflammation of blood vessels in arthritis patients also affects the blood flow to the skin, causing it to appear red (Vannabouathong et al., 2018). Skin redness is more common in active arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis and affects single and multiple joints.

Swelling of the skin is a common symptom of arthritis. Although all types of arthritis can make the skin swell, some people are more prone to the swelling of the skin than others. Some patients may display this symptom during a flare-up, while others display it as a severe sign (Jeong et al., 2021). Swelling of the skin and joints usually happens due to increased fluid in the tissues around the joints and under the skin. Swelling mainly affects the feet and hands and can restrict or weaken these body parts. During inflammation, the immune system attacks the synovium causing the skin and joints to swell. Too much synovial fluid in the joints can also contribute to the swelling in arthritis patients (Vannabouathong et al., 2018). With time, the swelling can weaken the joint ligaments, leading to atypical characteristics of the hands and feet.

Joint pain and stiffness are other signs of arthritis. Chronic joint pain caused by arthritis affects millions of people worldwide every year. Approximately one in four adults with arthritis suffer joint pain (Salaffi et al., 2018). Severe joint pain in arthritis is when an individual rates their pain as 7 out of 10 or higher. Like joint pain, stiffness affects most people with arthritis, especially in the morning or after a long period of inactiveness. Stiffness feels like a burning sensation that starts along the joints. Morning stiffness in rheumatoid arthritis may last longer, but stiffness in other types wears off within 30 minutes.

The other symptom of arthritis is reduced motion. People with arthritis cannot achieve a full range of motion because of stiffness, pain, and inflammation (Salaffi et al., 2018). Since this disease mainly affects the joints, it can cause pain along the ankles and knees, making it difficult for a person to stay active or move. The pain and stiffness of joints can make a person lose or reduce mobility. When joints are affected, participating in physical activities becomes difficult for people with arthritis.

Symptoms of arthritis differ depending on the type of arthritis. Patients must get an accurate diagnosis before concluding to have arthritis. Some of the most common symptoms include joint pain, stiffness, tenderness, anxiety, depression, and redness of the skin and joints. If a person notices one of the following symptoms, they should seek medical care if they experience the above symptoms. Although some symptoms seem to come and go, they may become severe if not attended to early enough.

Read more about Symptoms of Arthritis here.

References

Jeong, S. H., Kim, S. H., Park, M., Kwon, J., Lee, H. J., & Park, E. C. (2021). Arthritis status changes and depressive symptoms among middle-aged and older Koreans: Analysis of data from the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging survey. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 151, 110662. Salaffi, F., Giacobazzi, G., & Di Carlo, M. (2018). Chronic pain in inflammatory arthritis: mechanisms, metrology, and emerging targets—a focus on the JAK-STAT pathway. Pain Research and Management, 2018.
Vannabouathong, C., Del Fabbro, G., Sales, B., Smith, C., Li, C. S., Yardley, D., ... & Petrisor, B. A. (2018). Intra-articular injections in the treatment of symptoms from ankle arthritis: a systematic review. Foot & ankle international, 39(10), 1141-1150.