Early morning stiffness can be a warning sign of rheumatoid arthritis. This is a chronic autoimmune arthritis disease, caused by damage to the synovial membrane of the joints, commonly found in middle-aged women, characterized by symptoms such as swelling, heat, redness, and pain in the joints.
When joint stiffness lasts early in the morning, the patient must be massaged for a long time, possibly up to an hour, before they can move. Pain often appears on both sides of the body, starting with small joints such as fingers, toes, hands, and feet. As the disease progresses, symptoms spread to larger joints such as wrists, knees, ankles, elbows, hips and shoulders… Patients may also experience symptoms in other organs such as skin, eyes, heart, lungs, kidneys, nerve tissue, bone marrow, blood vessels…
Doctor Thu explains the joint condition to the patient. Image: Tam Anh General Clinic District 7
There is currently no definitive treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. Treatment methods are only aimed at reducing symptoms, reducing disease activity, preventing severe disease progression, and reducing complications. Rheumatoid arthritis is often treated with pain relievers, anti-inflammatory and anti-rheumatic drugs. These drugs work by inhibiting the immune system’s attack on the joints.
When joint damage caused by rheumatoid arthritis is severe, surgery is the only method to restore the patient’s mobility. Damaged joint parts are replaced with artificial materials… Usually, the femoral head, knee joint and hip joint are most often prescribed for replacement surgery. Patients can usually return to exercise 1-2 days after surgery and are discharged from the hospital 6-7 days later.
You should go to a medical facility with a musculoskeletal specialist to examine and perform blood tests, C-reactive Protein tests… to diagnose the disease, provide appropriate treatment, and avoid serious complications that can lead to disability.