A whopping 58.5 million American adults suffer from a form of arthritis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And this painful condition is on the rise. The CDC predicts that by the year 2040, an estimated 78 million adults will have doctor-diagnosed arthritis.

While it is not uncommon to experience pain or discomfort in your joints, especially if you exercise regularly with intensity, if you experience joint pain routinely it could be a sign of arthritis. According to AARP, the term arthritis refers to more than 100 conditions, but the two main categories are inflammatory arthritis and osteoarthritis, or OA. Inflammatory arthritis is joint inflammation caused by an overactive immune system. It usually affects many joints throughout the body at the same time. The best-known type of inflammatory arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It’s caused by your immune system attacking its own tissues, says More M.D.

The most common form of arthritis is OA, also known as age-related wear and tear of the joints, which affects weight-bearing joints more frequently but can also cause pain in your wrist and finger joints.

If you suffer form any of these early warning signs and symptoms, it’s time to see your healthcare provider:

1. Joint pain. If you experience ongoing pain in your joints that gets progressively worse over time, this may be a significant warning sign of arthritis.
2. Joint swelling. Swollen joints are a warning that your arthritis is getting worse. Your joints may appear larger than normal and could be warm to the touch. The swelling can last for several days, says More M.D., and as the condition worsens, it may be difficult to move.
3. Fever. Rheumatoid arthritis can cause a low-grade fever so if your symptoms include joint pain along with increased temperature, consult a physician.
4. Joint stiffness in the morning. Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Lisa Cannada, of Novant Health in North Carolina, says “it’s a feeling that you need to lubricate something,” according to AARP. Morning stiffness that lasts for more than 30 minutes is a classic symptom of RA.
5. Grating sound or sensation. Cannada explains that a grinding or grating sound as a joint moves could be a sign that the cartilage in the joint has worn down. This sign of arthritis is most common in the knee joint.
6. Groin or hip pain. When arthritis settles in the hips, the pain can radiate down to the groin. Hip arthritis ca also cause pain in your thigh and buttocks, says AARP.

While there is no cure for arthritis, there are treatments to minimize pain. Weight loss can also help lighten the load on your joints and exercise can help improve movement in arthritis patients.

 “Osteoarthritic knees are very sensitive to excessive weight.  Forces on the knee are multiples of body weight, so that a 10-pound weight loss can take 30 pounds of stress away from an arthritic knee during daily life,” Dr. Catherine Cahill, a member of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery, tells Newsmax. “Exercise is important, but it should be low impact to prevent putting too much pressure on the affected joints. Resistance exercise is needed because muscles around arthritic joints are prone to atrophy.”