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Preventing Joint Damage From Rheumatoid Arthritis

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    Inside the joint, these white blood cells produce chemicals that they usually use to kill invading microorganisms -- only no microorganisms are there. Instead, the chemicals damage the healthy joint tissue. During high levels of disease activity, you experience a flare -- joints become swollen, stiff, and painful. You can also have low levels of disease activity that come and go and have mild symptoms.

    There are two main ways this process can cause joint damage:

    • The infection-fighting chemicals cause cartilage, the cushion between bones in the joint, to slowly degrade and thin.
    • The inflammation inside the joint stimulates the joint lining (synovium) to grow and spread where it doesn't belong. If it continues long enough, it can harm healthy cartilage or bone.

    The simple rule of thumb is, the "longer" and "stronger" the disease activity, the more joint damage is probably occurring.

    • A person with joint swelling and stiffness every day is more likely to have joint damage than a person with these symptoms less often. (Longer disease activity)
    • Someone with a lot of joint swelling or lots of swollen joints is more likely to have damage than a person with just a little bit. (Stronger disease activity)


    • You can be feeling a lot of pain, but the cause could be from something other than RA.
    • Joint damage can also occur without causing much pain.
    • Joint swelling is a reliable sign, though. For the most part, having joint swelling is proof of having ongoing disease activity.
    • Tenderness when pressing on a joint is a reliable sign.
    • The length of morning stiffness each day can be useful. Ask yourself, after getting up, "How long does it take until I'm feeling as loose as I'll feel for the day?" The longer you feel stiff, the more likely it is that your rheumatoid arthritis is active.
    • Another sign you can look for is a "boggy" joint. When the joint lining begins to grow abnormally, it may give a joint a mushy texture. This boggy texture may remain even when you are not having a flare. If you notice this happening, you should see your rheumatologist.

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