A modified version of the McGill Pain Questionnaire in visual analogue format was used to evaluate the sensory, affective and evaluative intensities of pain experienced by 40 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 20 patients with degenerative arthritis. The affective component of the pain was found to be more intense than the sensory component in all patients indicating the importance of emotional factors in the pain experience. The sensory aspects of the pain were more complex than the affective ones reflecting the varied sources and combinations of somatic pathology. There were no significant differences found in the overall pain experience between rheumatoid and degenerative arthritis. No differences were noted in the evaluative category of pain. Overall pain intensity increased with disease duration in both rheumatoid and degenerative arthritis. The relationship of affective and sensory components of the pain experience did not alter with duration of disease.