Question
Hi, I am a 38 year old women with a nine month old baby. Towards the end of my pregnancy I began to suffer with stiff and painful fingers and wrists. I found it difficult to make a fist and this persisted after the baby was born. I had no excessive swelling or numbness or tingling but the joints were painful on palpation. The stiffness seemed to resolve somewhat a few months on but for the last six months or so I have been suffering with really stiff and painful ankles, knees and now hips/groin. The pain is worse after resting eg first thing in the morning or if I have to get up in the night when I have to hobble for a while until my joints warm up a bit. The joints are painful when pressed (even the bones in my feet hurt) but there is no visible swelling or sign of inflammation. My GP has checked my blood for autoimmune markers, lupus etc and the results so far have been thankfully negative. The only abnormalities detected were a slightly low platelet count and one of the liver function tests was raised , suggesting, according to my GP, exposure to a virus. My symptoms are not improving and I am frustrated that picking my baby up is painful. I feel like I have been doing too much at the gym, when in fact, I haven't been able to go to the gym at all! Can you shed any light on the likely cause/s of my  joint pain and stiffness?

Answer
It would be worth your time to be assessed by a rheumatologist, especially to make sure there isn't something inflammatory going on.  Fibromyalgia jumps to mind when you say tests are already coming back negative but there are too many other possibilities that may need aggressive treatment.

Start logging your symptoms, times they happen, what relieves them (if anything.)  Write down any questions you'll have for the rheumatologist, too.