2. Weight Changes

If you’ve tried every low-fat, low-carb, and low-calorie diet with little weight loss success, you might have an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism). An underactive thyroid gland is like miring your metabolism in quicksand, slowing it down to the point of ineffectualness.

With an overactive thyroid, or hyperthyroidism, patients usually cannot gain weight, no matter how much they eat. This is because an overly active thyroid pushes the metabolisms to warp speed, causing the body to burn calories like rocket fuel. Many patients also experience dramatic and unexplained weight loss.

3. Muscle and Joint Pain

Unexplained aches and pains in the muscles and joints (with little or no physical exertion) can be symptomatic of a thyroid condition. These pains can be intense and unrelenting, interfering with normal activities and inhibiting the patient’s ability to perform movements and actions within their normal range.

These symptoms can also manifest as muscle weaknesses, rendering specific muscle groups suddenly unable to bear normal workloads. Some people experience tremors in their hands, which can become severe. Pain, swelling and stiffness can also occur in the muscles and joints.

4. Swollen Neck

Swelling in the neck or a visibly enlarged thyroid that leads to neck pain and a gravelly voice can indicate thyroid disease. This condition is known as a “goiter,” and it typically presents as a localized enlargement at the base of the neck, affecting the skin and surrounding tissues which that protect the actual thyroid gland.

However, the presence of a goiter does not necessarily signal that there is a problem with the thyroid itself. This type of swelling simply means that there is some underlying condition that is affecting the size of the thyroid and causing it to grow, and if it occurs in isolation without the presence of other symptoms, it may not require aggressive treatment.