1. Community
  2. Bones, joints and muscles
  3. Arthritis

In your 20's: any information appreciated

Posted , 6 users are following.

david48602
david48602

does anyone know the likelihood of developing arthritis in your 20's, more specifically late 20's? i'm 27; admittedly, i am overweight. now, a while back, i had a sore forearm; it often felt like it was throbbing, and there was this burning, sorta nagging pain. that has kind of gotten better, but now what i have is pains in my wrist, on my left arm; i have mild discomfort in the top sections of my fingers, the section your fingertips are on. i haven't sustained any injuries. my left hand is the worst, but my right hand does it slightly, too... now, nowhere near as severse as the left, nowhere near it. but it's still slightly there. i suffer from anxiety, so it's possible my arms could be stiff and tense, i'm just worried it could be something else.

2 likes, 15 replies

15 Replies

  • cheryl90571
    cheryl90571 david48602

    Posted

    Hi David!

    A poster in my surgeon's office said Osteoarthritis usually begins around age 30. There are signs then that are not always noticeable but sometimes can already be pretty painful depending on the individual.

    There are many different kinds of arthritis. Each has different treatments. Blood testing at a Rheumotologist can locate the presence or absence of particular markers which can tell you if you have a certain type of arthritis.

    Our neighbor is 17 and was just diagnosed with RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis) several months ago.

    Before you worry any more, it would REALLY help to get the blood testing done. It will rule out many things and also get you closer to getting the right treatment to help you with pain, discomfort and will ease your worries, too.

    Wishing you answers very soon!

    • david48602
      david48602 cheryl90571

      Posted

      I am going to mention it to my doctor, Cheryl, when I see him on June 15th. Things that are worrying me is pain in my forearm, and more specifically pain in the joints of my fingers, especially the top sections of my fingers. Now, the pain is far from excruciating, it's more annoying than anything else. Perhaps I am worrying over nothing, I just don't want to take any unnecessary chances.
    • cheryl90571
      cheryl90571 david48602

      Posted

      Do you notice this pain more during rainy or stormy days and nights?

      Do you feel the pain more if it is cold or if an air conditioner is on?

      Both of these situations bring more aches and pains in my joints than any other conditions.

    • david48602
      david48602 cheryl90571

      Posted

      No, Cheryl, I can't say I have noticed the pains being worse during any of the things you mentioned. It's pretty much always there.
    • cheryl90571
      cheryl90571 david48602

      Posted

      Injury and overuse will bring on pain. Maybe at one time you injured your forearm. Maybe you overdid it with your fingers and arthritis set in.

      Osteoarthritis is known as "wear and tear" arthritis because constant use of joints wears them out and the cartilage disintegrates leaving bone to rub against bone.

      I read that one in three people get arthritis. That is pretty common! Both sides of my family have Osteoarthritis. It is hard to escape hereditary. Also, being on my feet a lot teaching for many years and all the falls I took as a very active kid who skated ALL the time on sidewalks, rode my bike, climbed trees and enjoyed going across the creek by swinging on vines probably contributed greatly to my "wear and tear" now!

      Stress and worry CAN indeed make things worse. Anxiety causes one to focus on the pain, and that makes the pain seem worse, too.

      Some doctors are very unsympathetic. Others are more compassionate and are more interested in getting answers to ease a person's pain and to discover reasons for that pain. Maybe simply changing doctors would help you.

      Keep us posted on what you discover, OK? We each need to keep searching on our own behalf because we must be our own advocate!

  • eileen64__UK
    eileen64__UK david48602

    Posted

    Hi David

    A lot of people think arthritis is and old persons desease but its not

    You can get it from any age. You can have Juvenile arthritis from being very young.

    It does also happen when you you are older

    Tell me to get off my soap box  LOL  I'm a volunteer for arthritis care.

    Yo ur best bet is to go to your GP and if he thinks its arthritis or you think its arthritis ask for a referral to your local hospital and they will do tests which will decided one way orthe other

    Good Luck

    Love

    Eileen

     

    • Aristotle13
      Aristotle13 eileen64__UK

      Posted

      Hi Eileen

      I was just trawling the arthritis threads to see if there was anything that might benefit Pauline and spotted your post. It's good advice unless you live in the Scarborough area where you'll be just passed around and end up either where you started or at York or Leeds, where the comedy is repeated.

      Hope that you are recovered from your adventure.

      Kindest Regards

      Colin.

    • Aristotle13
      Aristotle13

      Posted

      David,

      Depending upon where you live, you may find that you'll have to be quite insistent about getting some treatment but the blood test is definitely the best route if you can persuade your Doctor to comply with your wishes. You never know, he may come up with something even better!

      Regards and good luck

      Aristotle

    • david48602
      david48602 eileen64__UK

      Posted

      Hello, Eileen! I have an appointment with my GP on June 15th, so I shall have a little chat with him. See, I have health anxiety, so I am always extremely aware of every little twinge in my body, and when something happens it just sends me into a blind panic and I fall to pieces. I mean, as painful as it is, and I know people suffer horribly with arthritis, it's not the end of the world, and there will be treatments to help me if worst comes to the worst.
    • david48602
      david48602 Aristotle13

      Posted

      I'm from Belfast, Northern Ireland. I am going to speak with my GP at my next appointment, and chances are he is going to tell me to hush and that I am once again being silly and worrying over nothing. I'm just not taking any chances, you know?
  • Anhaga
    Anhaga david48602

    Posted

    I'm sure I've had some form of arthritis since I was a child.  Looking at the shape and condition of my feet certainly since teenagerhood.  Diagnosed at 40 when hands started to get knobbly joints.  Very much under control now (this is only osteoarthritis I'm talking about) I think partly from using a good dose of glucosamine twice a day for years and years!  The thing is you may be developing theumatoid arthritis and you really need to see a doctor because without treatment that could lead to more than knobbly joints, but to definite and painful disfigurement of the joints of your hands and feet.  Or it could be something as simple as needing to make sure you have enough of certain nutrients in your diet as deficiencies of some things can lead to painful joints.  Calcium for example, or possibly magnesium.  So, yes, have a good talk with your doctor.  They are usually good at treating young people because they perceive you are still of some use to society, so I hope you get some answers and relief soon!
    • david48602
      david48602 Anhaga

      Posted

      I hope so, too, Anhaga. See, because I have health anxiety, people think of what I do as morbid, as if I want something to be wrong with me, like I am seeking it out. But in a way it's more a case of self preservation, it's the constant need to catch whatever is plaguing you as quickly as possible, to catch it before it becomes a serious issue.
    • Anhaga
      Anhaga david48602

      Posted

      Exactly.  No sense stewing over something.  Most likely it is very treatable and you will feel better both physically and psychologically aafter you know!  Let the doctor know that you are trying to look after yourself so that you can stay healthy.  let us know how you get on.
  • vetswidow
    vetswidow david48602

    Posted

    I have both osteo and inflammatory arthritis and they both started in my twenties. I also have "connective tissue disease"--Sjogren's Syndrome and Raynaud's--so the assumption was that I had seronegative RA, but the pattern of joint damage hasn't followed RA. It looks more like erosive osteoarthritis. 

    Burning doesn't really describe arthritic pain, though sometimes it can feel like someone is stabbing a hot poker through a joint when I'm  having a particularly bad flare. Typically, you will stiffen up and ache more after resting, but certain joints will also object painfully to overuse as well. IOW, you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. The top sections of your fingers and fingertips doesn't make a lot of sense either. Arthritis affects the joints. You could have something else.

    I hope you get to a doctor and have this evaluated. Do post and let us know what you discover. Good luck!

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.