Why are my joints sore?

Symptoms:

You’re middle aged and you wake up each morning with stiffness in the joints of your hands, and the first joints in your fingers are swollen and tender.

You’ve got an illness which feels like flu but also pain in your joints and a fever. You think it’s just a virus. You’ve had psoriasis in your skin for several years now and you’ve developed pain and swelling in the joints of your hands and feet. You get flare-ups which settle after a few weeks. It could be:

Rheumatoid arthritis which often stars off in the hands, feet and wrists. The pain may come and go with long periods between attacks but it can leave you feeling unwell and tired.