Are you experiencing pain in your joints? If yes, these might be the early signs of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a common autoimmune condition that affects your joints and causes inflammation. It has no cure, but noticing RA symptoms earlier allows for managing this condition with proper treatment and prevents severe complications. Learn about rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, diagnosis, complications, and treatment options in this article. Visit the best Pain Management Clinic in Brooklyn at Doral Health & Wellness or log on to www.doralhw.org. to schedule an appointment with us.

Symptoms

In the early stages of RA, people may not experience severe symptoms. It only affects some joints at first, mostly small joints of the hands and feet. As the disease progresses, symptoms may spread to more joints, and you experience symptoms, such as:

• Joint pain, tenderness, swelling, or stiffness that lasts for 6 weeks or longer.
• Morning stiffness that lasts for 30 minutes or longer.
• More than one joint is affected.
• Small joints are the ones that are affected first.
• The same joints on both sides of the body are affected.

Many people also feel tired and have a low-grade fever. As the disease progresses, it also starts affecting more than the joints. It involves areas like:

• Skin.
• Eyes.
• Lungs.
• Heart.
• Nerve tissue.
• Blood.

These symptoms may come and go. But when they are active, it is called a flare-up and follows a period of less or no swelling or pain symptoms. This time period is called remission. Over time, RA can make your joints bend out of shape and shift out of place. The joints can be difficult to use for daily activities. These flare-ups can last for days or months.

Diagnosis

To diagnose rheumatoid arthritis, your doctor may refer you to a rheumatologist (a doctor who is trained in treating arthritis). The doctor may review your medical history by asking questions about joint symptoms, their severity, and what you do to make them feel better or worse, as well as whether someone in your family has RA or another autoimmune disease. After that, the doctor performs a physical exam where they check your joints for tenderness, swelling, warmth, pain, and limited movement, bumps under the skin, or a low-grade fever. To confirm your diagnosis, the doctor may perform some blood tests and imaging tests.

1. Blood tests: Blood tests may not rule out rheumatoid arthritis, but can show indications of the condition. Some of the main blood tests are:
2. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR): This blood test checks the levels of inflammation in the body.
3. C-reactive protein (CRP): This test is used to measure the levels of C-reactive protein, another marker of inflammation in the body.
4. Full blood count: This helps to rule out other causes that may have similar symptoms or work as an indicator of your general health.
5. Rheumatoid factor (RF): This is the antibody found in 80% of cases of RA. The immune system releases antibodies to fight RA in the body. The antibodies to cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) are found in 60 to 70% of people with RA. However, these antibodies can be found in people without RA.

• Imaging tests: Imaging tests like X-ray, ultrasound, or MRI are used to scan for joint erosions. They can’t pick anything in the early stages of RA because not enough damage has happened yet. But it can be used to check how well the treatment is working.

Complications

If left untreated, it may lead to further complications, such as:

• Damaged or deformed joints
• Cervical myelopathy
• Viral infections
• Osteoporosis
• Heart disease
• Dry eyes and dry mouth
• Carpal tunnel syndrome
• Interstitial lung disease
• Lymphoma

Need help with rheumatoid arthritis? Visit our pain management clinic in Bushwick to get professional medical help. Call to book your appointment today because waiting will only make your condition worse!!!! If you’re ready to take the next step in managing your pain, we recommend consulting with our healthcare provider to explore the right treatments or therapies for you. Always listen to your body and adjust your daily routine to prioritize your well-being. Visit Doral Health & Wellness Pain Relief Department in Brooklyn, to get professional help and guidance on how to manage your problem. Call us on + 1-718-367-2555 to get a consultation. If you need help learning coping methods, register your information and make direct contact with our doctors at https://yuz88hfiyh7.typeform.com/Doralintake. Log on to www.doralhw.org. Or visit us at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11212.