2. Inability to Move Hands or Feet 

Joint stiffness is a common sign of early-onset or minor RA and usually begins slowly in the joints of the hands. However, stiffness can occur in any joint in the body and may come on rapidly, spreading to other joints in a matter of days. The stiffness can occur without any physical strain or activity and at any time of day. 

When severe RA strikes, some patients experience the sudden loss of movement in a hand or a foot. This is because of severe nerve damage done when the inflamed tissues press against nerves in the affected area. While this is one of the rarer symptoms, it is also one of the most alarming. 

"It's like having a heart attack for the nerves," says Dr. Joan Bathon, the chief of rheumatology at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. She cautions that this symptom must be treated immediately to avoid the risk of permanent paralysis.