What Does Arthritis or Osteoarthritis Feel Like? Early Signs

Arthritis is not one condition but more than 100, and they feel quite different. Recognising the pattern of your symptoms helps you and your doctor work out which type you have, and that matters, because the treatments are very different.

This guide describes what the most common types of arthritis feel like, the early signs to look out for, and when joint pain should be checked by a GP.

Quick answer

Arthritis usually feels like pain, stiffness and sometimes swelling in one or more joints. Osteoarthritis typically causes an ache that is worse with use, stiffness after rest that eases within about 30 minutes, and a grinding feeling. Inflammatory arthritis causes warm, swollen joints, morning stiffness lasting more than an hour and tiredness. Gout causes sudden, severe pain in a red, hot joint.

What osteoarthritis feels like

Osteoarthritis is the most common type in the UK, usually affecting the knees, hips, hands and lower back.

• Pain that is worse with use and towards the end of the day, easing with rest
• Stiffness after rest or first thing in the morning that eases within about 30 minutes
• A creaking or grinding feeling when the joint moves
• Bony swelling, especially at the finger joints
• Flares after a busy day, a long walk or a change in routine

What inflammatory arthritis feels like

Rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis happen when the immune system attacks the joints.

• Warm, swollen, tender joints, often the small joints of the hands and feet
• Morning stiffness lasting more than an hour
• Joints affected on both sides of the body in rheumatoid arthritis
• Tiredness and feeling generally unwell
• Pain that eases with gentle movement rather than getting worse with it

Inflammatory arthritis needs early treatment from a rheumatologist, so these symptoms should always be checked.

What gout feels like

• Sudden, severe pain, often starting at night
• A red, hot, shiny, swollen joint, most often the big toe
• Extreme tenderness, so that even a bedsheet hurts
• Attacks that settle over a week or two, then may return

For more detail, see what gout feels like.

Arthritis signs and symptoms: what early arthritis feels like

The main signs and symptoms of arthritis are joint pain, stiffness, tenderness, swelling, reduced movement and, over time, weakness in the muscles around the joint. At the start, arthritis often feels like a joint that is slow to get going rather than constant pain. Early signs include:

• Stiffness after sitting that takes a few minutes to ease
• Aching in a joint after activity that was previously comfortable
• Reduced range of movement, such as difficulty kneeling or making a fist
• Swelling that comes and goes

How do you know if you have arthritis? A GP or physiotherapist can usually tell from your symptoms and an examination. Blood tests or an X-ray are sometimes used to rule out other types. Joint pain or stiffness that lasts more than a few weeks is worth getting checked.

Arthritis in different joints

• Knees: pain on stairs and getting up from a chair, stiffness after sitting, sometimes swelling.
• Hips: pain in the groin, sometimes felt in the thigh or knee, and difficulty putting on shoes and socks.
• Hands: stiff, aching fingers, bony lumps at the finger joints and pain at the base of the thumb.
• Back and neck: stiffness and aching, often worse after long periods in one position.

What does arthritis look like?

Many joints with arthritis look normal, especially early on. Visible signs can include:

• Swelling around the joint, which may look puffy or feel warm
• Bony lumps on the finger joints in hand osteoarthritis, called Heberden's nodes at the joints nearest the fingertips and Bouchard's nodes at the middle joints
• Red, shiny skin over a very swollen joint during a gout attack
• Swollen, sausage-like fingers or toes and pitted nails in psoriatic arthritis
• Changes in the shape of a joint over time, such as knees bowing outwards, or fingers drifting sideways in long-standing rheumatoid arthritis

Can osteoarthritis make you feel unwell?

Osteoarthritis mainly affects the joints and does not usually cause a high temperature or make you feel generally ill. It can still leave you tired, because pain disturbs sleep, and living with long-term pain can affect your mood and energy.

Feeling unwell alongside joint pain, with a high temperature, weight loss, night sweats or exhaustion, is more typical of inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis, or of another illness, so see a GP. A single hot, swollen joint with a fever needs same-day medical advice from your GP or NHS 111, as it can be a joint infection.

When to see a GP

• Several joints are swollen
• Morning stiffness lasts more than an hour
• Joint pain comes with fever, a rash or weight loss
• Pain is affecting sleep, work or daily tasks
• Same day: a single hot, red, swollen joint with fever, which can be an infection

What helps

For every type, staying active and strengthening the muscles around the joint help. Osteoarthritis is managed mainly with exercise and weight management. Inflammatory arthritis and gout need medical treatment, with exercise alongside.

If arthritis runs in your family, see whether arthritis is hereditary. For more on managing it, read about osteoarthritis treatment and tai chi for arthritis.

Frequently asked questions

Does arthritis pain come and go?

Yes. Most types have good and bad days, with flares after activity, illness or stress.

Is arthritis worse in cold weather?

Many people feel stiffer in cold, damp weather. The research is mixed, but keeping warm and active helps.

Can young people get arthritis?

Yes. Inflammatory types can start at any age, and osteoarthritis can follow an earlier joint injury.

Does clicking mean I have arthritis?

Not on its own. Painless clicking is common and usually harmless.

Arthritis assessment and support in Chiswick

Joint pain is assessed at Omnia Lifestyle, 8 to 9 Bedford Corner, The Avenue, Chiswick W4 1LZ, close to Turnham Green station, on bus routes 94, E3 and 272. Limited parking is available on request when booking. Blood tests can be arranged without a GP referral through our blood test service, and results are shared with your GP.

Physiotherapy in Chiswick starts with a 70 minute initial assessment and treatment for £99, followed by an exercise plan to strengthen the muscles around the affected joints and keep you moving.

Read more about arthritis, osteoarthritis, gout and joint pain, see the stages of osteoarthritis and our knee pain exercises, explore physiotherapy and blood tests, or book an assessment.

This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have any of the warning signs listed above, seek medical attention.