Hello Wheela,
My late first wife suffered from inflamatory Rheumatoid Arthritis for most of our married life ... having first been diagnosed with the condition in 1967 at the age of twenty-seven. Thankfully, the disease was - for the most part - kept at bay, with a concoction of steroid drugs ... but not without considerable detrimental effect on her general health.
However, treatment has improved dramatically in the intervening decades, and I know of many other [young] people who are able to carry on with a relatively normal life - despite developing RA.
But it would seem that your mother's symptoms are more inclined to be mainly muscular - rather than arthritic - in which case, Keith's suggestions would be more appropriate. Most folk DO tend to become aware of aches and pains, cramps, &c. in (notably) their leg muscles, as they age. In other cases, it's the joints that are affected. I'm afflicted with both to some extent, and certainly find *Ibuprofen (which is relatively inexpensive) helpful. Even Myrna - who's 14 years younger than me - finds her joints and muscles (particularly in her right hand) seizing up at times, and resorts to the *same measures.
Best of all, though, your mum really should consult her GP (as Keith has recommended) in order to get to the real root of the trouble - although perhaps Doc Alan (Alan Jackson) would be able to advise, if you were to PM him.
