In the case of early rheumatoid arthritis, early symptoms of joint stiffness can be differentiated from other aches and pains. Generally speaking, joints of the hands, feet, ankles and wrists are the first joints to be affected. Joint stiffness will usually occur on both sides of the body. So if one wrist is sore, the other wrist will be sore too. This can be a tell tale sign if you don’t have a mechanism of injury to make your joints sore.

Again with early rheumatoid arthritis, early symptoms of joint stiffness are different from other normal aches and pains in the length of time the joints are stiff. As we age, we all have stiff joints in the morning when we hop out of bed, but the stiffness will get much better as we move about. In rheumatoid arthritis, the stiffness and pain will last more than one hour when you first get up and move about.

In addition to joints on both sides of the body being affected, usually more than two joints on each side will be stiff. That may be one of the most telling signs of rheumatoid arthritis early symptoms. It can be difficult to distinguish this symptom from generalized aches since more than two joints are affected. You will really have to take note of your RA early symptoms and pay attention to exactly which joints hurt.

Rheumatoid arthritis early symptoms usually come on gradually. You may not even really pay attention to the fatigue, low grade fever, joint stiffness or weight loss. It may occur to you that it has been awhile since you really have felt well, or at your peak. This is the main reason that diagnosing RA early is so difficult. The patient just doesn’t feel bad enough to warrant a visit to the physician early in the disease.

Some patients will notice that their joints are red and swollen, as one of the RA early symptoms. This may prompt a visit to the physician early in the disease process. Diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, at this point, may include blood work.

If there is swelling of the joints, the physician may withdraw some of the fluid for lab testing too. The removal of the fluid from the joint will decrease the discomfort. The physician may also inject steroids into the joint at that time, to help with the pain.

While early rheumatoid arthritis symptoms may be hard to pinpoint, it is imperative to see your physician if you think RA early symptoms might be a possibility. Diagnosis may be difficult in the early stages of the disease process too. You may be asked to keep a list of your symptoms and make an appointment during a flare up.