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Osteoarthritis Symptoms
Posted: Oct. 1, 2006
Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis, affecting an estimated 21 million adults in the United States. Symptoms of osteoarthritis include:
- Steady or intermittent pain in a joint
- Stiffness in a joint after getting out of bed or sitting for a long time
- Swelling or tenderness in one or more joints
- A crunching feeling or the sound of bone rubbing on bone
- Hot, red, or tender? Probably not osteoarthritis. Check with your doctor about other causes, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
- Pain? Not always. In fact, only a third of people whose X-rays show evidence of osteoarthritis report pain or other symptoms.
Osteoarthritis can occur in any joint. Most often it occurs at the ends of the fingers, thumbs, neck, lower back, knees and hips.
Usually, osteoarthritis comes on slowly. Early in the disease, joints may ache after physical work or exercise.
Some younger people get osteoarthritis from joint injuries, but osteoarthritis most often occurs in older people. In fact, more than half of the population age 65 or older would show X-ray evidence of osteoarthritis in at least one joint.
Osteoarthritis primarily affects cartilage, which is the tissue that cushions the ends of bones within the joint. In osteoarthritis, the cartilage begins to fray and may entirely wear away. Osteoarthritis can cause joint pain and stiffness. Disability results most often when the disease affects the spine and the weight-bearing joints (the knees and hips).
Source: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
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