Osteoarthritis Symptoms
Osteoarthritis symptoms can occur in any joint, most often it affects the
hands, knees, hips, and spine, either at the neck or lower back. It usually is
not difficult to tell if you have osteoarthritis. It is more difficult to tell
if the disease is causing your symptoms. Osteoarthritis is so common, especially
in older people, that symptoms seemingly caused by the disease actually may be
due to other medical conditions.
Symptoms of Osteoarthritis:
- Pain in a joint during or after use, or after a period of inactivity
- Loss of joint flexibility
- Discomfort in a joint before or during a change in the weather
- Swelling and stiffness in a joint, particularly after using it
- Bony lumps on the middle or end joints of your fingers or the base of
your thumb
Different characteristics of the disease can depend on the specific joint(s)
affected.
Osteoarthritis of the hands seems to have some hereditary characteristics; that
is, it runs in families. If your mother or grandmother has or had osteoarthritis
symptoms in their hands, you’re at greater-than-average risk of having it too.
Women are more likely than men to have hand involvement and, for most, it
develops after menopause.
When osteoarthritis involves the hands, small, bony knobs may appear on the end
joints, those closest to the nails of the fingers. They are called Heberden’s
nodes. Similar knobs, called Bouchard’s nodes, can appear on the middle joints
of the fingers. Fingers can become enlarged and gnarled, and they may ache or be
stiff and numb. The base of the thumb joint also is commonly affected by
osteoarthritis.
The knees are among the joints most commonly affected by osteoarthritis.
Symptoms of knee osteoarthritis include stiffness, swelling, and pain, which
make it hard to walk, climb, and get in and out of chairs and bathtubs.
Osteoarthritis in the knees can lead to disability.
The hips are also common sites of osteoarthritis. As with knee osteoarthritis,
symptoms of hip osteoarthritis include pain and stiffness of the joint itself.
But sometimes pain is felt in the groin, inner thigh, buttocks, or even the
knees. Osteoarthritis of the hip may limit moving and bending, making daily
activities such as dressing and putting on shoes a challenge.
Osteoarthritis symptoms of the spine may show up as stiffness and pain in the
neck or lower back. In some cases, arthritis-related changes in the spine can
cause pressure on the nerves where they exit the spinal column, resulting in
weakness or numbness of the arms and legs.
The severity of symptoms can be influenced greatly by your attitude, anxiety,
depression, and daily activity level. If you have swelling or stiffness in your
joints that lasts for more than two weeks, seek medical advice. If your doctor
determines that you have osteoarthritis, he/she can work with you to develop a
pain management and treatment plan.
Osteoarthritis Symptoms to O
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