Tell us about your symptoms and treatment experience. Take our survey here.

caret icon Back to all discussions

Is stiffness and swelling normally a symptom?

I have a lot of similar symptoms of RA but have no stiffness or swelling, do most normally experience swelling with the pain?

  1. Hi ,

    What symptoms are you experiencing? Inflammation is the most common symptom I, and probably most RA patients, experience. The inflammation is what causes me to feel painfully stiff and slow. If you are not experiencing any sort of inflammation then I would check with your doctor if your pain is RA related. Hope this helps!

    Best,
    Franki (RheumatoidArthritis.net Team)

    1. Thank you for the response! The only way I know I have swelling is in my fingers Is because, besides the obvious pain, my fingers feel swollen if I try to make a fist.
      Like the the poster after me, I am also always in pain. My symptoms came on very fast. Started in May. I feel like I have been having a flare in since early July. I am keeping a journal. If this isn't a flare I can't image how I will feel if I have one.

  2. I feel like I am sure I have RA. My toes, fingers, wrists etc. Stiffness. When I make a fist it's painful and feels swollen, but I do not see inflammation or swelling. I have a rheumatologist that I see in September. She diagnosed me with fibromyalgia a couple years ago but in the past 6 months my condition is exactly that of RA but no swelling. Is it possible I just don't notice it?

    1. Hi ,

      Before I was on meds I was inflamed and in intense pain all the time. It didn't matter if I was using my joints or not, it felt like the inflammation would never go away. It wasn't until my Rheumatologist started me on methotrexate that the pain began to subside.

      I don't have any experience with sulfasazine but I hope it works for you! Be sure to let us know how it goes.

      Good luck!

      Best,
      Franki, RheumatoidArthritis.net Team

    2. Thanks for the response, I'm grateful you have found relief and hope I can find the same. He said 1 in 6 have success with Sulfasazine and it has less side effects if it works but takes nearly 4 weeks to know if it works.

Please read our rules before posting.