Not all joint pain is arthritis, but if you have pain in your joints similar to what is described below, it may be a sign that arthritis is developing. A joint has been painful for more than a month. A joint is painful for a few weeks and then stiffens. A joint becomes hot or swollen. A joint makes popping or grinding noises.
Small knots appear at the sides of the end joints of the fingers.
Advanced arthritis affects different joints of the body in different ways. Below are descriptions of what can be expected for particular joints if arthritis continues to advanced stages. The knobby enlargements that can develop at the end finger joints cause our hands to look old. They may also cause stiffness, but most people go about their daily lives with only mild limitations as a result of arthritis in their hands. We are put together well enough to weather the early effects of spine arthritis without severe limitations.