ask: My feet, legs, and joints are stiff in the morning why?

Dear Jen

Thanks so much for your question. I gather these have been some really painful months for you and I hope you can resolve this as soon as possible. Daily pain should not be a part of life, if we can at all help it.

There are several causes for the kind of body stiffness you have. It can be neurological or inflammatory or something else.

Since there can be many reasons why you could be experiencing this, I'd like to stick with just one possibility, because it jumped out at me as soon as you described you symptoms.

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory autoimmune condition that causes stiff and painful joints and muscles and is particularly evident in the morning. It's a chronic (ongoing) condition that unfortunately has no current cure. An autoimmune condition is where the body gets confused and starts attacking itself (it's own tissue) instead of healing itself. There is no real known cause, although some believe there is a genetic component as well as environmental factors.

RA causes painful inflammation around the joints and organs and interestingly, affects women three times more than men.
Symptoms are very similar to some of the ones you have been describing, like muscle and joint swelling, as well as morning stiffness and tightening.

As I said above, there is no cure, but the good news is that there is treatment. Medications that help with inflammation can do a good job (I know two people with RA and their medications are not perfect, but do alleviate the symptoms fairly well) and occupational and physical therapy are also options. In some severe cases, surgery is an option.

There are also medications known as 'second line' drugs that work alongside the anti-inflammatory drugs but work on promoting remission and delaying damage to the joints. These medications take a lot longer to work than the anti-inflammatory meds but often work quite well.

Other non-medicated methods of coping are exercise (especially swimming, which is low impact and easy on the joints), and even though you may be in pain, using heating and cooling applications before and after exercise can help alleviate further discomfort. Relaxation therapy helps, and some believe a diet high in fish oils can also be of value.

Empowher has a fantastic medical encyclopedia where you can read more about RA and get some really informative details regarding this condition. You can click right here to get to it : http://www.empowher.com/media/reference/rheumatoid-arthritis

Has anyone suggested to you that you should see a rheumatologist to try to get to the bottom of this? What did the orthopedic doctor suggest to you? Do you think, after reading up on RA (check our encyclopedia) that RA may be a possibility?

35 is young!

However, both people I know with RA were under the age (well under) when they were diagnosed.

Please remember that you have no confirmation or even preliminary diagnosis that what you have is actually RA. I'm simply going over what you said you were experiencing and trying to connect some dots.

RA is chronic, many people live with it for a lifetime, but with the right therapies, they can live well! The same with Lupus or other autoimmune illnesses. There can be painful flareups and challenges to deal with but a full life can be had!

Your BMI (Body Mass Index) is 25.8 which put you (just!!) in the over-weight category and you are right, you are not obese.

Exercise will definitely help. Try swimming if you can, since it's easy on your joints and very low impact. And keep up your healthy diet.

If your symptoms are daily and painful, you really do need to see a doctor and ask for a referral if you feel it's warranted.

Don't fret just yet! Nothing has been diagnosed.

And with regard to your foods - here's a brief list of foods though to have anti-inflammatory agents:

-Omega 3 fatty acids (fish or flax seed)
-Colorful fruits and vegetables like pineapples and apples for fruit, and tomatoes and peppers for veggies (technically they are both also fruits but we'll call them veggies for now!) as well as onions, spinach and kale.
-Whole grains
-Nuts like walnuts.

Please check back with us when you visit your doctor, Jen. I hope this has helped. Just remember, there is a treatment for almost everything and do not worry until you get a diagnosis for all the pain your in. And even then, just know that there are therapies out there than will probably help you.

I am 73, bascially in good health. I eat well, sleep well, am happy but find a stiffness in my knees and shoulders if not kept in motion. Getting up from the floor is very difficult and I wake during some nights with the need to turn over from a painful shoulder. I walk three times a week on the treadmill 3.3 m/p/h, 37 minutes, with no difficulty. I'd appreciate any advice.
Virginia

Okay, I went to a Rhumatologist. She tested my blood for Rhumatiod Arthritis, and several other diseases. I was negative on all counts. Also I did an Xray of my hands and knees, negative results. However, the doctor did fond that my blood contained high levels of inflamation. I was perscribed Naproxen 500 MG. I asked her why my body is inflammed, specifically my knees and legs? She told me she did not know, and that I could have the kind of arthritis that does not show up in the blood. She also told me that If I had arthritis I would not be able to exercise my legs and knees as I do. But my problem is NOT the exercise, it is the INactivity (when I sleep or sit for longer than 20 minutes. I am so freakin confused. WHen I go to stand up my legs and feet ache, and are Extremely Stiff. It takes me a minute or two, to unstiffen my legs by streching them or move them around slowly. Has anyone experienced this?