Top 5 Symptoms of Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis Pain Increases Over Time:  Osteoarthritis usually develops over time. At first, the person may only experience joint pain after physical activity or exercise , it disappears and then returns as the affected joint is normally used or overused. As the cartilage between the bones becomes thinner each time, the pain often becomes more permanent and difficult to walk or climb stairs.

Joint pain and stiffness can occur after long periods of inactivity, such as while sitting for long trips or watching a two-hour movie. With advanced osteoarthritis and increased friction between bones , pain often becomes important, even at rest or with every small movement. With progressive osteoarthritis , initially a single joint may be affected, but over time and activities, it can affect multiple joints,  the base of the neck or knees, hips, hands and/or feet.

Although less frequent, some patients may experience severe deformities in certain joints over time. Osteoarthritis differs from systemic forms of arthritis in that it only affects the joints (although it can also cause nerve compression at any level of the spine or spinal cord, in the neck), and does not affect the organs or soft tissue areas of the body.

Symptoms of Lower Back Osteoarthritis (Lumbar Spine):  As with other arthritic joints , lower back pain is usually most pronounced in the morning and worsens again towards the end of the day. The pain lessens during the day as the person’s normal movements move the lubricating fluid from the joints . Pain in the lower back can usually radiate (“referred pain”) to the pelvis, buttocks, thighs, and sometimes the groin.

Irritation of a nerve by a disc spur or herniated bone can cause weakness, numbness, tingling, or pain in the leg that often radiates to the foot. Arthritis causing spinal stenosis or narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower back can cause exercise -related or walking in both legs symptoms.

Pain and Other Symptoms of Osteoarthritis of the Neck (Cervical Spine):  Neck pain from Osteoarthritis again tends to be worse in the morning and afternoon, with improvement during the day. This pain often radiates to the shoulder, between the shoulder blades, and down the throat and causes a headache . With nerve compression or herniated disc, there may also be weakness or numbness in one side, certain fingers, or in some cases both arms. Compression of the spinal cord in the neck can even cause problems with gait as well as bladder or bowel control in severe cases.

Conditions that are often confused with osteoarthritis:  Because other conditions appear similar to osteoarthritis of the spine, especially when symptoms are at their worst, it is important to get an accurate clinical diagnosis from a medical specialist or spinal surgery specialist.

Rheumatoid Osteoarthritis:  Osteoarthritis  often  affects several joints in a symmetrical pattern (affecting both sides of the body). Rheumatoid osteoarthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes inflammation of the joints and can affect other tissues or organs. Therefore, when rheumatoid osteoarthritis is acute, symptoms can include fatigue, lack of appetite, fever , muscle and joint pain, and stiffness, again visible in the morning and after periods of inactivity. Joints , usually in the hands, wrists, and feet, often become red, swollen, painful, and tender.

Degenerative Disc Disease:  Osteoarthritis is also often confused with or associated with degenerative disc disease (or spondylosis), a gradual deterioration of one or more discs between the vertebrae of the spine. This is because osteoarthritis and degenerated discs are commonly found together. However, conditions are different and it is important to know what anatomical changes in the spine are the real cause of the patient’s pain and disability.

An X-ray shows degenerative disc disease as a narrowing of the normal disc space between adjacent vertebrae. An MRI can show early changes from loss of water content in the disc. Degeneration of disc tissue increases its susceptibility to protruding or herniating. Disc degeneration can occur at any level of the spine and can cause local pain with the affected pain radiating along the nerves emerging from the spinal canal in the level area.