Knee Pain and Joint Pain - Possible Symptoms of Rheumatoid Arthritis

In rheumatoid arthritis, knee joints can become inflamed and swollen, resulting in pain, joint stiffness and in extreme cases, reduced movement or even loss of joint function. Rheumatoid arthritis affects the elbows, knees, shoulders and hip joints. All of these joints contain a special lubricating fluid called synovial fluid. The fluid of the joints comes under attack from the body's own immune system. Painful and inflamed joints are often symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis that may lead to discomfort and can often making movement painful.

Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms tend to develop gradually, over a period of several weeks and tend to be more common in women than men and usually starts between the ages of 40-60. The word 'rheumatoid' comes from the Gk. rheuma meaning "stream, current, a flowing," as this condition affects the fluid in joints.

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