It's important to know the early rheumatoid arthritis signs so you can get treatment right away if you have the disease. The sooner you get treatment, the better your outlook is going to be for your joints. So, what are the earliest signs and symptoms of the disease? While arthritis is a unique condition that can cause a wide variety of differing symptoms in different people, here are the 4 top earliest signs that the majority of patients experience at the outset of the disease.

1. Joint pain--Pain of unknown cause in the joints is usually one of the first rheumatoid arthritis signs to appear. You may or may not experience swelling in the joints at this point. Early on, it may simply be pain of an unknown origin. Some doctors may even think you injured your joints somehow. It's only when the pain goes on for a few weeks without let-up that physicians may begin to suspect something more insidious going on.

2. General feelings of malaise--Flu-like symptoms are common in the early stages of this disease. You may experience low-grade fever, unusual fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle aches, and other symptoms generally associated with the flu. However, they may last for weeks and be resistant to antibiotic treatment, making flu an unlikely culprit.

3. Morning stiffness of the affected joints--Joints that are becoming affected by rheumatoid arthritis may begin to be stiff in the mornings, and this stiffness could take an hour more more to work itself out. Some people find they have to take hot baths first thing when they wake up, just to work out the stiffness. This stiffness is caused from joint fluid thickening from lack of movement during the night and requires sustained movement to bring it to a viscosity where easy movement is possible again for the rest of the day.

4. Inflammation in the joints--Finally, the joints that are affected by the disease will become inflamed. This means they will be warm or hot to the touch, and may even be red in appearance. One of the most common rheumatoid arthritis signs is that the inflammation is present on the same joint on both sides of the body (such as both elbows or both knees). However, this isn't always the case, so be sure to have a doctor check out any joint inflammation you may be experiencing. Once you've had these early symptoms examined and have a definite diagnosis, you can start to get treatment that may save your joints from destruction and preserve your independence for decades to come, which is one of the most important things you can do for your health once you're diagnosed.