What is osteoarthritis?

Healthy joints help your body move, bend, and twist. Knees glide up and down stairs without creaking or crunching. Hips move you along on a walk without a complaint. But when osteoarthritis affects your joints, such simple, everyday movements can hurt. Taking the stairs can be painful. Walking a few steps, opening a door, and even combing your hair can be hard.

Osteoarthritis is mainly a disease of the hips, knees, hands, neck, and low back. But it can happen in other joints too. A joint is where two bones connect. And you have them all over your body.

Osteoarthritis is most common in older people. Although you cannot cure arthritis, there are many treatments that can help with your pain and make it easier for you to move. And you can do things to keep the damage from getting worse.

What causes osteoarthritis?

The simplest way to describe osteoarthritis is that it is wear and tear on the cartilage of your joints. Your joints have cushioning inside them called cartilage. This tissue is firm, thick, and slippery. It covers and protects the ends of bones where they meet to form a joint.

With osteoarthritis, there are changes in the cartilage that cause it to break down. When it breaks down, the bones rub together and cause damage and pain. Experts do not know why this breakdown in cartilage happens. But aging, joint injury, and genetics may be a part of the reason.

What are the symptoms?

• Pain: Your joints may ache, or the pain may feel burning or sharp. For some people, it may get better after a while. Pain while sleeping or constant pain may be a sign that your arthritis is getting worse.
• Stiffness: When you have arthritis, getting up in the morning can be hard. Your joints may feel stiff and creaky for a short time, until you get moving. You may also get stiff from sitting.
• Muscle weakness: The muscles around the joint may get weaker. This happens a lot with arthritis in the knee.
• Swelling: Arthritis can cause swelling in joints, making them feel tender and sore.
• Deformed joints: Joints can start to look like they are the wrong shape, especially as arthritis gets worse.
• Cracking and creaking: Your joints may make crunching, creaking sounds.

How is osteoarthritis diagnosed?

Your doctor will want to make sure your pain is caused by arthritis and not another problem. So first, you will need to describe your symptoms as best you can. Your doctor will ask you questions about your symptoms. Examples of questions include:

• Is the pain burning, aching, or sharp?
• Are your joints stiff in the morning? If yes, how long does the stiffness last?
• Do you have any joint swelling?