Why do people with lupus get pain and stiffness in their joints?
When lupus is active, there is inflammation (increased heat, swelling, and pain) throughout the body. As part of this inflammation, a thin lining in certain spaces around the joints grows and thickens. This change in size causes pain and swelling in the joints as well as tendons and special fluid-filled sacs that normally lessen rubbing between body parts. Inflammation also can lead to the release of body chemicals that break down bone and destroy a type of very hard connective tissue called cartilage. Is this pain and stiffness the same as arthritis? No, since the bones and joints do not (usually) get damaged permanently, as they do with arthritis. But the pain and stiffness of lupus can still be very difficult to deal with, and some of the ways of handling arthritis work well for lupus. Are muscles affected? Two out of three people with lupus at some point complain of muscle aches. Often these aches are between the elbow and neck, or between the knee and the hip. While the aching can
