The main symptoms of all forms of arthritis include:

• stiffness,
• pain,
• restricted movements of the joints,
• swelling, and
• warmth and redness of the skin over the joint.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis often develops in people who are between 40-60 years of age. Osteoarthritis becomes more common with age with around 12% of people over 65 affected by the condition.

Osteoarthritis begins slowly with pain, stiffness and restricted movement in the affected joints. For some, slight stiffness is all that is experienced, but other people go on to have cracking or creaking joints (crepitation), knobbly bone growths (especially on the hands), and joints that move out of alignment. The pain and loss of movement tends to worsen as the day goes on, as the joints are used more.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis affects between 1-3% of the population, and often starts between 30-50 years of age. Women are three times more likely to be affected by rheumatoid arthritis than men.

Like osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis begins gradually, with the first symptoms often being felt in small joints, such as fingers or toes. The condition can then progress to cause pain, swelling and stiffness of other joints, causing a lack of mobility. Cold and damp weather may aggravate the symptoms which are often worse in the morning. However, your symptoms may improve during the day as you start using and flexing your joints. Rheumatoid arthritis can also sometimes leave people feeling generally sick and tired.