Step 1: Recognising symptoms
before seeking help
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory arthritis which affects approximately 680,000 people in the UK , it can occur at any age although the common age of onset is between 40 and 60, the disease usually presents initially in the hands and feet. More women than men have RA.
Should you be experiencing symptoms which might relate to inflammatory arthritis, don’t delay, seek help from your GP as soon as possible!
The following links will provide help and further information prior to a first appointment with a GP.
The following topics will be covered in this step:
- New onset joint pain
- General health - smoking, diet & exercise
- Information Prescription
- Multilingual Information Leaflets
- General Information on Joint Pain
- Patient Information on Inflammatory Arthritis
If you are experiencing pain, stiffness and/or swelling in your joints then visit
NHS Direct and use the
self assessment tool!
NRAS video on Early Diagnosis – a short film which discusses the importance of getting an early diagnosis if you suspect an inflammatory arthritis
These are the ‘Danger Signs’ for Rheumatoid Arthritis & Psoriatic Arthritis
The “S” Factor
• Swelling of the small joints or hands or feet
• Stiffness in joints for at least 30 minutes in the morning
• Squeeze test – pain on squeezing across hands or feet
S Factor Poster
Live Well is part of the NHS Choices website which looks at healthy living and covers issues relating to eating, smoking, mental health and sexuality
The Department of Health website contains information on public health, social care and the NHS
Information Prescription - Information prescriptions contain a series of links or signposts to guide people to sources of information about their health and care – for example information about conditions and treatments, care services, benefits advice and support groups.
Birmingham Arthritis Resource Centre (BARC) - BARC aim to enable people with arthritis to have an improved quality of life and greater long-term independence through education about their diseases. Information can be provided in a variety of forms and languages.
Family Health Guide – an article which looks at joint pain and explores the symptoms, possible causes, diagnosis and treatments currently available
Patient information on Arthritis – NHS Choices – this article discusses the 2 most common types of arthritis (osteoarthritis and rheumatoid) as well as giving information on Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA)
NRAS video on Early Diagnosis – a short film which discusses the importance of getting an early diagnosis if you suspect an inflammatory arthritis
The Squeeze Test is one of the most reliable tests for RA and PsA and involves squeezing the patients hand or foot across the knuckle joints as shown. If this test is unduly painful then it raises the suspicion of RA & PsA
The following links all give more detailed information about rheumatoid arthritis, the signs and symptoms, the treatments used and what to expect:
NHS Choices information on RA
Patient UK RA Leaflet
NRAS article - ‘What is RA?’