Cracking painful joints
Hi everyone, I went to the doctor because I have to keep cracking my joints and its painful. She did a blood test on me and everything seemed alright. Its a bit weird because the joint locations that typically show up in RA are the ones that I'm finding are affected and my muscles seem to be getting weak. Has anyone been diagnosed with RA without a lot of inflammation showing up? Also, with blood tests not confirming it? I'm only 29 so it really can't be age. This has been going on for like 2 years now but i recently had a lot of chest pain so I finally went to the doctor. My doctor said it sounds like its just chronic pain but is that possible?
Yes, it is possible to have tender joints, not have inflammation and not have your bloodwork show the markers for rheumatoid disease.
At 29 years it could be age related if the joints that cause problems are joints that you use a lot due to lifestyle.
The diagnosis can be made by a primary care provider but is, in my experience, more commonly left to a rheumatologist to decide.
Painful joints and joints that feel like they need cracking or popping can be a whole host of things besides rheumatoid.
Perhaps you can seek a second opinion preferably from a rheumatologist. Rheumatologists oversee many forms of arthritis and other autoimmune disorders.
Keep us up to date on what you find out. You are not alone. ♡ JulieThanks a lot Julie. I've told my doctor I have to figure it out but honestly its suprising how tough it is to get good medical care. maybe I have to go abroad to get a proper physican
Hi
. It is possible to have normal blood tests and have RA. It is called seronegative RA and this article provides further information: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/seronegative-diagnosis. That said, as noted, there are a number of conditions that could be causing your symptoms, including other autoimmune conditions. Do you know that blood tests you had done? The rheumatoid factor test and the anti-CCP test are the primary diagnostic tests for RA. A rheumatologist is the best qualified to provide the proper diagnostics and they look at much more than the blood tests. This article discusses the process: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/diagnosis. Hope this information is helpful and please feel free to keep us posted and ask additional questions. Best, Richard (RheumatoidArthritis.net Team) Thanks Richard. My doctor did the usual tests for RA but its odd because the joints that are affected in RA are pretty much the same as those in RA and my symptoms seem to sound very close to what is described minus the obvious swelling and inflammation.
Hi thanks for the information. I seem to be having it in my small joints mainly and its more like if I don't crack its painful as well. My muscle are starting to feel it to when doing things like brushing my teeth (which is crazy to me) and especially when I'm using my phone now days. I seem to be having it come and go in severity and some days I feel like I've been hit by a truck. My blood tests don't show RA and I don't think its inflamed but the amount it cracks and how painful it is concerns me. Sorry whats is DDD? I think I'm too young to have OA as I'm only a 29 year female. I've had this for a while now but its seems to be more common now than before. Any thoughts would be appreciated
