When you think about someone experiencing an allergic reaction, you might picture someone sneezing because of pollen or needing a hospital visit due to a swollen face from eating shellfish. But there are many subtler signs of allergic reactions that can result in misdiagnosis unless you press for a referral to an allergy specialist. Here are a few unusual signs that could indicate you're having an allergic reaction.

Itching After Exercise

If your skin begins to itch all over when you start exercising, it can be a symptom of dehydration due to lack of water intake or an electrolyte imbalance. But if it happens frequently and you know you're properly hydrated, this feeling could actually be due to a food allergy. An exercise-induced food allergy basically happens when you eat a food that you have a minor allergy to before you exercise. The specific food allergy is often so mild that you don't notice a reaction unless you exercise, which raises your body temperature, heart beat and circulation -- all of which can help the allergen move faster through your body.

Exercise-induced food allergies can manifest as simple itching or move on to be hives or even an anaphylactic reaction. You can prevent this type of reaction by not eating two hours before you exercise and by visiting an allergy specialist to figure out which food is triggering the reaction.

Mouth Tingling

Does your mouth tingle or itch sometimes when you're eating? Do you turn into a sneezing mess whenever pollen is in the air? These two factors could be related thanks to food proteins that bear a chemical similarity to pollen. Trigger foods include apples, bananas, melons, bell peppers and tomatoes. Cooking pollen-related foods often breaks down the protein enough so that it doesn't cause a reaction. But if you still experience the mouth tingling, your allergy might be more severe and require medication or avoiding the trigger food altogether.

Joint Pain

Food allergies or sensitivities can present in a range of unusual ways. One of the symptoms can be joint pain throughout your body. This may be due to the allergy causing internal swelling, rather than the traditional external swelling associated with allergies. If you have chronic joint pain and have tested negative for arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, visit an allergy specialist and get a blood panel done. If any food allergies or sensitivities pop up, avoid those foods for at least a month and see if your joint pain improves. If it does, slowly start reintroducing foods until you find the food or foods that triggered the pain. Now you know what to avoid completely.