What Does Arthritis Pain Feel Like?

Are you wondering if the pain and stiffness in your hips, knees, or fingers are caused by arthritis? Here's how you and your doctor can decide.

Hardly anyone escapes the annoyance of occasional aches and pains, especially as they age. But persistent joint pain and stiffness can be signs of arthritis, which affects more than 58.5 million American adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). By 2040, an estimated 78.4 million American adults are projected to have doctor-diagnosed arthritis.

What Causes Arthritis Pain?

While there are over 100 types of arthritis and related conditions, notes the Arthritis Foundation, it can be separated into two types: mechanical disease (normal wear and tear), such as osteoarthritis, versus autoimmune inflammatory, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Autoimmune inflammatory disease is due to an overactive immune system mistakenly attacking healthy cells. Both forms of arthritis are often characterized by joint-related symptoms. “Pain involving joints — knees, hips, wrists — indicates the problem is arthritis,” explains Andrew D. Ruthberg, MD, assistant professor of medicine in the division of rheumatology at Rush Medical College in Chicago. Back pain, neck pain, and joint swelling are also markers of arthritis.

Diagnosing the Different Types of Arthritis

So how do you know if your symptoms are caused by arthritis or something else? While joint pain and stiffness are the most common terms used to describe arthritis, the warning signs are pretty specific. Here's what you need to know to get the right diagnosis — and the best treatment.

What Osteoarthritis Pain Feels Like

Pain is pain, right? It just plain hurts. But for your doctor to figure out if your joint pain stems from osteoarthritis, which develops as cartilage wears away, you’ll need to be specific about when the pain occurs, how bad it is, and the ways it's affecting you.

Here are some common signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis that may help you identify and better describe your arthritis pain to your doctor:

Pain that aches deep into the joint
Pain that feels better with rest
Pain that isn't noticeable in the morning but gets worse throughout the day
Pain that radiates into your buttocks, thighs, or groin
Joint pain that affects your posture and gait and may cause limping
Pain that occurs after using the joint
Swelling in the joint
Not being able to move the joint as much as usual
Feeling a sensation of bones grating or catching on something when moving the joint
Pain during certain activities, like standing from a seated position or using stairs
Pain that interferes with work, daily activities, and exercise
Joint stiffness first thing in the morning that improves with time
Stiffness after resting the joint

What Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain and Discomfort Feel Like

Rheumatoid arthritis can be like the old “box of chocolates” adage — you never know what you’re going to get, according to the blogger Katie Singh, 42, of Austin, Texas. Singh was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis when she 23 years old. “Sometimes it feels like burning, other times it feels like throbbing — throbbing so bad that you can't think about anything else,” Singh explains. “There are times I've almost considered wanting to cut off a foot or a hand, the pain is so excruciating.”

But there are also good days when the arthritis pain seems to ebb. “When I feel good, I do yoga, run, and go about life like I don't know what RA is,” she adds.

RA Symptoms Often Include More Than Joint Pain

Since rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease, it will progress aggressively if not treated early on. According to research in JAMA, “Early diagnosis and treatment of RA can avert or substantially slow progression of joint damage in up to 90 percent of patients, thereby preventing irreversible disability.” All the more reason to recognize the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis — many of which you might not associate with arthritis pain. These can include:

Joint pain that occurs on both sides of the body, such as both feet, ankles, wrists, or fingers
Significant stiffness in the morning that persists for at least an hour
Aching muscles all over the body
Weak muscles
Feeling tired or depressed
Losing weight and not having much appetite
Slight fever
Swelling of glands
Joint pain that gets worse after sitting for a long time
Pain that will ease for periods, then get significantly worse, rather than consistent pain
Heat and soreness in the joints

Let Your Doctor Know What the Pain Feels Like

To determine whether your pain is due to osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or another type of arthritis, your doctor will ask you many questions about your pain, how it affects your life and body, when it occurs, and how bad it gets. Your doctor may ask you to rate your pain on a scale from 1 (almost no pain) to 10 (unbearable pain).

Before you speak with your doctor, think about the words you want to use to describe your joint pain and what the pain feels like. Here are some terms that will help your doctor get the full picture. Choose the ones that best describe how your arthritis pain feels:

Throbbing
Aching
Sharp or shooting
Hot or burning
Grinding or grating
Dull

People with arthritis should keep their doctors informed of their symptoms, and Dr. Ruthberg suggests that family members can often be helpful in keeping up with information, such as when and how symptoms began.

Take Notes About Pain Frequency, Intensity, and Triggers

Try keeping a diary of how you feel each day, rating your pain at different times and after different activities. Record what makes your pain feel better, and what makes it worse. Also share with your doctor what you can and cannot do because of your pain. For instance, make note of whether you can drive a car comfortably but have difficulty holding a fork. Your doctor will also want to know about any other symptoms you are experiencing, such as fever, which can be associated with RA, or a skin rash, which could point to another kind of arthritis, such as psoriatic arthritis.

The long-term impact to your health from arthritis varies widely from person to person and by the type and severity of arthritis. Still, a diagnosis and treatment is important for more than just your physical health — it’s necessary for your emotional health, too. “Anxiety and depression can occur with almost any chronic illness; arthritis is no exception,” Ruthberg says. So, if you’re struggling with pain, see your doctor to figure out the source — and the solution.