Not a diagnosis. Not personal medical advice. Nothing on this website — including condition guides, medicines explainers, exercises, diet notes, the symptom checker, or the help chat — replaces advice from your GP, pharmacist, rheumatology team or other qualified clinician.
When to seek urgent care
Emergency: 999. Urgent non-emergency: NHS 111. Mental health crisis: Samaritans 116 123.
- Suddenly hot, red, swollen joint with fever or feeling very unwell — seek urgent care (possible septic arthritis).
- New loss of bladder or bowel control with back pain, or progressive leg weakness — call 999.
- Chest pain, severe shortness of breath, or signs of a severe allergic reaction — call 999.
Medicines and treatments
Medicines pages summarise publicly available UK guidance (for example NICE, NHS, BNF / SmPC themes) for education. They do not tell you what dose to take, whether to start, stop or change a medicine, or how to taper steroids. Always follow the regimen your rheumatology team or GP has set for you, and check the patient information leaflet / SmPC.
Tools and chat
The symptom checker and chatbot route you to educational guides. They cannot examine you, order tests, or issue a diagnosis. Do not rely on them in an emergency.
No clinical relationship
Using this website does not create a clinician–patient relationship with Living With Arthritis or with Louis Maxwell (HCPC PH128483) personally, unless you have a separate, explicit clinical arrangement outside this site.
Related pages
Last updated: 16 September 2026. This disclaimer is for transparency; it is not a substitute for solicitor-drafted terms or clinical indemnity arrangements.
Where to go next
- Editorial standards — Editorial standards. From Living With Arthritis, a UK registered charity (no. 1218461) publishing plain-English, educational arthritis and frailty information
- Editorial claims policy — How Living With Arthritis supports public claims: recorded reviews, real patient stories, transparent survey methods and agreed partnerships.
- Terms — Terms. From Living With Arthritis, a UK registered charity (no. 1218461) publishing plain-English, educational arthritis and frailty information.