Osteoarthritis (OA) is a condition that leads to joint signs which are identified with defective integrity of articular cartilage. It relates to changes in the bone at the joint margins. It is a type of joint disease which results from the failure of joint cartilage and interlinking bone. OA occurs in people of all ages, most common in people older than 65. Common risk factors include increasing age, obesity, previous joint injury, overuse of the joint, weak thigh muscles, and genes. Before the age of 45, osteoarthritis occurs more frequently in males. It occurs more frequently in females after 55 years.
Symptoms of Osteoarthritis differ, depending on which joints are affected and how severely they are affected. The most common symptoms are pain and stiffness.
Osteoarthritis Symptoms
Osteoarthritis can involve in any type of joints. Mostly it appears in Hips, Knees, Feet, joints of the fingers.
Symptoms of Osteoarthritis differ, depending on which joints are affected and how severely they are affected. The most common symptoms are pain and stiffness. Here are ways Osteoarthritis may affect different parts of the body as mentioned below:
Hips
Pain is felt in the groin area or buttocks and sometimes on the inside of the knee or thigh. Osteoarthritis of the cervical spine or lumbar spine causes back pain and neck pain. Bony spurs, dead osteophytes, that form along the arthritic spine can irritate spinal nerves, causing severe pain, numbness, and tingling of the affected parts of the body.
Knees
A “grating” or “scraping” sensation occurs when moving the knee. In severe OA, complete loss of the cartilage cushion causes friction between bones, causing pain at rest or pain with limited motion. People with Osteoarthritis of the weight-bearing joints (like the knees) can grow limp. The limping can worsen as more cartilage decline.
Feet
Pain and tenderness are felt in the large joint at the base of the big toe. There may be swollen ankles or toes. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease. Cartilage, which works as a protective cover and cushion for the ends of the bones that form a joint, gradually wears down. An injury to joints which is not properly healed, can also cause Osteoarthritis even after many years of injury. Severe sprains or fractures can point to osteoarthritis.
Fingers
Bone Spur (Bone growth) at the edge of joints can cause fingers to become swollen, tender and red. Most of the time there may be a pain at the base of the thumb. Appearances of figure nodes: classic bony growth of the small joint at the end of the fingers is called a Heberden’s node. Many patients having common bony knob (node) occurs at the middle joint of the fingers with osteoarthritis and is called a Bouchard’s node.