Osteoarthritis Signs and Symptoms
August 10, 2011 
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Osteoarthritis signs and symptoms
The degenerative disease of the joints is called as osteoarthritis. It is the most common type of arthritis. It is characterized by the breakdown and loss of a protein substance, cartilage present in the bone joints. It affects different body parts like hips, knee, spine, hand, wrist and feet. The osteoarthritis results in pain, inflammation and stiffness of the joints.
The development of the disease is slow. In early stage, there are no symptoms or the symptoms are mild. There is pain in the joint after use or after inactivity. Discomfort in the joints due to change in weather is very common. There is stiffness and swelling in the joint. Some people experience the contraction in the tendons and muscle spasm. The patient complains the stiffness in the morning. The flexibility of the joints is lost. Another important sign of osteoarthritis is the grinding or cracking noise within the joint. The bony spurs are developed at the bony ends.
In hip osteoarthritis, there is pain in the inner thigh, groin or buttock. The patient feels abnormality in walking. The person faces the difficulty in daily work like getting into the car or putting on the shoes.
The knee osteoarthritis features the catching or grating sensation while moving the knee. The patient faces difficulty to walk up and down stairs. It becomes difficult to get up from the chair. The person feels weakness in the thighs. The mobility of the joint is restricted. There is a crunching feel in the knee. There is swelling in the knee. There is the growth of extra bone which is visible in the form of enlargement of the joint.
The patient suffers from swelling, redness and tenderness in the finger joints. The finger joints are enlarged due to the bony growth. They create a gnarled appearance. These nodes affect the mobility of the joints. It is more common in women than men.
In the osteoarthritis of spine, there is slow deterioration of disks between the bones along the spine. It leads to pain and stiffness in neck and back. The weight-bearing joints like feet, knees and hips are more susceptible to osteoarthritis. It causes severe pain and difficulty in standing and walking.
Generally, osteoarthritis is stable for several years. Its progress is slow after the symptoms are developed. Many people may develop the disability upto some extent.