What it is Like to Have Osteoarthritis

Have you noticed some people's enlarged knuckles? Or, how difficult it may be for people to get up from a chair? Their unconscious massaging of hands or knees while talking? Their use of a walking cane, while gingerly going around curbs, or stepping out of automobiles?

Swollen joints and aching backs are among the most visible indicators of osteoarthritis. Other symptoms include a burning or aching sensation in the fingers, which is often a precursor to the onset of similar pain in other joints. Yet another symptom is feeling stiff in the joints after a prolonged period of inactivity, say in the morning.

Common Symptoms of Osteoarthritis:

• Joint pain that worsens during activity and gets better during rest
  
• Pain is generally described as aching, stiffness, and loss of mobility
  
• The pain may behave like a roller coaster, with bad spells followed by periods of relative relief
  
• Pain seems to increase in humid weather
  
• Swollen joints
  
• A warm sensation in one or more joints
  
• Stiffness of joints upon waking
  
• Some people experience muscle spasm and contractions in the tendons
  
• Osteoarthritis in the knee may cause a crackling like noise (called crepitus) when moved.
  Osteoarthritis typically occurs in one or two joints at first, most frequently involving the weight-bearing joints such as the hip, knee, spine and hands.

Symptoms of Osteoarthritis By Location

• Osteoarthritis of the Fingers. Osteoarthritis of the fingers occurs most often in older women and may be inherited within families. It often affects the first joint below the tips (known as Heberden's nodes) or the next joint down (Bouchard's nodes). Gelatinous cysts, which sometimes go away on their own, may also form in the finger joints or at the base of the thumb.
  
• Knee Osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is particularly debilitating in the weight-bearing joints of the knees. Nonetheless, the arthritic knee usually retains reasonable flexibility.
  
• Hip Osteoarthritis. Pain develops slowly, usually in the groin and on the outside of the hips or sometimes in the buttocks. These people begin to walk with a limp, because they tend to turn the affected leg to avoid pain.
  
• Spine Osteoarthritis. It may affect the cartilage in the disks that cushions the spine. In some cases, the nerves may become pinched, which also produces pain. Advanced disease may result in numbness and muscle weakness. Osteoarthritis of the spine is most troublesome when it occurs in the lower back or in the neck, where it can cause difficulty in swallowing.
  
• Shoulder Osteoarthritis. Least common, this is most often associated with a previous injury.

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