Rhumatoid Arthritis Symptoms

Rhumatoid arthritis affects people differently. For some people, it lasts only a few months
or a year or two and goes away without causing any noticeable damage. Other people have mild
or moderate forms of the disease, with periods of worsening symptoms, called flares, and
periods in which they feel better, called remissions. Still others have a severe form of the
disease that is active most of the time, lasts for many years or a lifetime, and leads to
serious joint damage and disability.


Although rhumatoid arthritis can have many different symptoms, joints are always affected.
Rhumatoid arthritis almost always affects the joints of the hands (such as the knuckle joints),
wrists, elbows, knees, ankles, and/or feet. The vertebrae of the neck are sometimes involved in
people who have had the disease for many years. Usually at least 2 or 3 different joints are
involved on both sides of the body, often in a symmetrical (mirror image) pattern. The usual
joint symptoms include the following:


Stiffness: The joint does not move as well as it once did. Its range of motion (the extent to
which the appendage of the joint, such as the arm, leg, or finger, can move in different directions)
may be reduced. Typically, stiffness is most noticeable in the morning and improves later in the day.

Inflammation: Redness, tenderness, and warmth are the hallmarks of inflammation.

Swelling: The area around the affected joint is swollen and puffy.

Nodules: These are hard bumps that appear on or near the joint. They often are found near the elbows. They are most noticeable on the part of the joint that juts out when the joint is flexed.

Pain: Pain in rhumatoid arthritis has several sources. Pain can come from inflammation or swelling
of the joint and surrounding tissues or from working the joint too hard. The intensity of the pain
varies by the individual.