The most obvious thing is that joints are less tender, swollen and painful. Strength immediately improves since limitations from pain messages are reduced. What is unexpected is what else happens. Many lose as much as 5 to 8 pounds during the clearing period. Most of this is water weight from the decreased edema not only in your joints but from inflammatory activity throughout your body.
Less fatigue is the next unexpected benefit.
Many realize for the first that arthritis isn't just a malady of the joints but of the entire body. Like a glacier against a landscape, the encroachment of these manifestations on our overall health are almost imperceptible. It needs to be emphasized that these drugs are only 'symptom suppressing' since they don't really cure anything. At most they make things a bit more comfortable while our body undertakes the needed action to induce healing. We tend to compare our health against that of our family and friends.