very tender skin
Hi - apologies if this has been covered - I can't find a topic that describes this.
( I have a fairly recent diagnosis of RA - symptoms that slowly appeared for a couple of years before that.Taking Plaquenil which has reduced severity of symptoms but not frequency.
So - the symptom I wonder about is that my skin, mainly on hands/wrists and sometimes elbows, gets extremely tender. It hurts to touch even lightly and water can feel like it's hitting an open burn.Sometimes joint pain is present, other times not.
Does anyone else experience this? Just curious - I can't seem to find info on this specifically.
Appreciate all the info here and what people share.
I would also like to find information on this topic. I am hypersensitive to touch - mostly on my legs and arms. Just lightly bumping into something can be very painful. I'm wondering if it's associated with RA or something completely different.
Hi Rachel and Cari~
With any strange or new symptom, the very best thing that you can do is speak to your doctor about it. You know your symptoms best and your doctor has the medical training, so the two of you can work as a team to figure out what is going on.
In the meantime, here is an article that goes over the basic symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/symptoms/early-signs/
RA nodules often involve the skin, so that may be another option: https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/what-is-ra/ra-nodules/
There are also other types of arthritis similar to RA - for example, psoriatic arthritis or fibromyalgia - that specifically involve the skin or nerve pain that can affect the skin.
I encourage you to speak with your doctor! The more information you give your doctor the better chance you have of finding a treatment that helps!
Best of luck!
~Mariah~ (Site Moderator)I've had random episodes of what I call "fever spots" for years. You know when you run a fever and your skin is very tender and achy? That's what it feels like but in a small, concentrated area.They occur on different parts of my body and I've never been able to correlate any kind of stimulus to the outcome.
qi21392,
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I am sorry to hear that you are dealing with these episodes of "fever spots." I understand that you have been dealing with them for years but has your doctor given you any idea as to what is going on or treatment options? If not, it might be worth getting a second opinion on these spots to ensure that there is nothing more serious at hand. That being said, skin issues are notoriously associated with RA and can manifest in many different ways.
In the meantime, I wanted to share with you a few articles on this topic:
https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/skin-issues-associated-ra/
https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/skin-in-the-game/
https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/dont-look-sensitive-skin/We are glad you are part of this community and hope to hear back from you soon.
Best,
Jillian (Rheumatoidarthritis.net Team)
