[Vohamanah]

My Mum has had bad arthritis since her late 20s/early 30s. She's been on painkillers for as long as I can remember, had drains inserted, osteotomies etc. It affects her knees worst, but also her ankles and wrists.

I think probably because of this I've always been a little bit more aware of my joints. Recently I've started to notice my joints ache quite often, particularly my ankles. My ankles sometimes feel a bit unstable as well, when going down stairs etc. My knees also ache sometimes, when I've not been doing any extensive exercise or anything that would explain it.

I'm not a hypochondriac by any means, but considering my Mum has had arthritis since my age, and the symptoms I'm having, albeit they are more an inconvenience at the moment, do you think it would be possible for my GP to run tests for arthritis? I'm going to feel a bit silly walking in at 26 and asking about arthritis (which is normally seen as an old person disease), but it is something I'm genuinely worried about. Does anyone have any advice?

[Helenia]

What sort of arthritis does she have? Rheumatoid or Osteoarthritis? The investigations for each of them, not to mention the disease progression and treatments, are quite different. The odd joint twinge here and there is normal, but if it's a persistent problem then it's worth talking to your GP about it.

[Vohamanah]

(Original post by Helenia)
What sort of arthritis does she have? Rheumatoid or Osteoarthritis? The investigations for each of them, not to mention the disease progression and treatments, are quite different. The odd joint twinge here and there is normal, but if it's a persistent problem then it's worth talking to your GP about it.

Thanks for your reply, Helenia

To be honest, I don't know, I've never asked what type she has.

I'm probably just being paranoid and over thinking because of seeing my Mum with it since I was small, but sometimes I think I should see the GP to put my mind at rest.

I don't want to waste their time though. I'll maybe go see the GP in a couple more months if it keeps happening.

[Helenia]

(Original post by Vohamanah)
Thanks for your reply, Helenia

To be honest, I don't know, I've never asked what type she has.

I'm probably just being paranoid and over thinking because of seeing my Mum with it since I was small, but sometimes I think I should see the GP to put my mind at rest.

I don't want to waste their time though. I'll maybe go see the GP in a couple more months if it keeps happening.

It's probably sensible. Certain types of arthitis are more likely to be inherited than others, but it's also worth remembering that you could have another reason for your joint pains (or no reason, unfortunately!) so if it continues to bother them, it won't hurt to see your GP, and it's not wasting their time.