How do they diagnose osteoarthritis

Your joints may feel stiff after rest, but this usually wears off fairly quickly once you get moving. Symptoms may vary for no obvious reason. The joint may not move as freely or as far as normal, and it may make grating or crackling sounds as you move it. This is called crepitus. Sometimes the muscles around the joint may look thin or wasted. The joint may give way at times because your muscles have weakened or because the joint structure has become less stable.

Osteoarthritis usually starts from the late 40s onwards. This may be due to bodily changes that come with ageing, such as weakening muscles, weight gain, and the body becoming less able to heal itself effectively. Being overweight is an important factor in causing osteoarthritis, especially in weight-bearing joints such as the knee and the hip.

A major injury or operation on a joint may lead to osteoarthritis in that joint later in life. If you were born with abnormalities or developed them in childhood, it can lead to earlier and more severe osteoarthritis than usual. The genes we inherit can affect the likelihood of getting osteoarthritis at the hand, knee or hip.

Some very rare forms of osteoarthritis are linked to mutations of single genes that affect a protein called collagen. This can cause osteoarthritis to develop in many joints at an earlier age than usual. Sometimes osteoarthritis is a result of damage from a different kind of joint disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis or gout.

Many people with osteoarthritis find that changes in the weather make the pain worse, especially when the atmospheric pressure is falling — for example, just before it rains. Some people find that certain foods seem to increase or lessen their pain and other symptoms.

However, your weight is more likely than any other specific dietary factors to affect your risk of developing osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis affects different people, and different joints, in different ways.

For some people, the condition reaches a peak a few years after the symptoms start and then remains the same or may even improve. Others may find they have several phases of moderate joint pain with improvements in between. Some people have a lot of pain and mobility problems from a small amount of damage, while others have a lot of damage to the joint but few or no symptoms.

If you have severe osteoarthritis, you may find some of your daily activities more difficult depending on which joints are affected. More severe osteoarthritis can also make it difficult to sleep. Read our professional answers to your questions about osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, including queries about a fear of falling and pain management. Any joint can develop osteoarthritis, but symptoms linked to osteoarthritis most often affect the knees , hips , hands, spine and big toes.

Osteoarthritis of the knee is very common. This is probably because your knee has to take extreme stresses, twists and turns as well as bearing your body weight. Osteoarthritis often affects both knees. Osteoarthritis of the hip is also common and can affect either one or both hips. The hip joint is a ball-and-socket joint which normally has a wide range of movement.

It also bears a lot of your weight. Hip osteoarthritis is equally common in men and women. Osteoarthritis of the hands usually occurs as part of the condition nodal osteoarthritis. This mainly affects women and often starts around the time of the menopause.

It usually affects the base of your thumb and the joints at the ends of your fingers, although other finger joints can also be affected. The bones of your spine and the discs in between are often affected by changes that are very similar to osteoarthritis. In the spine, these changes are often referred to as spondylosis. Read more about osteoarthritis of the spine. Osteoarthritis of the foot generally affects the joint at the base of your big toe. However, osteoarthritis of the mid-foot is also quite common.

The ankle is the least commonly affected part of the foot. When it is affected, it often follows either a single serious injury or a number of more minor injuries. The jaw, or temporomandibular joint, is one of the most frequently used joints in the body and the cartilage in this joint is particularly prone to wear. Osteoarthritis in the jaw often starts at an earlier age than in other joints.

The diagnosis of osteoarthritis is usually based on:. In rare cases, an MRI scan of the knee can be helpful to identify other possible joint or bone problems that could be causing your symptoms. If your arthritis becomes severe and is causing long-term problems, your GP may refer you to an orthopaedic surgeon to consider joint surgery or to a pain management programme. These include:. Many people worry that exercising will increase their pain and may cause further joint damage.

However, while resting painful joints may make them feel more comfortable at first, too much rest can increase stiffness. If pain makes it difficult to get started with exercise, you could try taking a painkiller such as paracetamol beforehand. The most important thing is to start gently and build up gradually. You may want to give our exercises for healthy joints a try. These exercises involve taking joints through a range of movement that feels comfortable and then smoothly and gently easing them just a little bit further.

These are exercises performed against some form of resistance to strengthen the muscles that move and support your joints. You could use light weights, a resistance band or try exercising in water.

This means any physical activity that raises your heart rate and gets you breathing more heavily. This type of exercise burns off calories, so it can help if you need to lose a bit of weight. It can also improve your sleep and help to reduce pain. Walking, cycling and swimming are all excellent forms of exercise for people with arthritis. Or you could try an exercise bike or cross-trainer. Walking laps in the shallow end of a swimming pool is also great for strengthening leg muscles.

Hydrotherapy or aquatic therapy pools are warmer than normal swimming pools. The warmth is soothing and relieves pain and stiffness, while the water supports your weight but still offers some resistance for muscle-strengthening exercises. The best way of losing weight is by following a healthy, balanced diet. Gradually increasing how much physical activity you do will also help with weight loss. Be cautious about any diet that claims to cure arthritis or that suggests cutting out a particular food group completely.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAIDs are available as creams, gels or patches that you apply directly to the skin. Ibuprofen and diclofenac gels are available over the counter at pharmacies and supermarkets.

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Contact afpserv aafp. Want to use this article elsewhere? Get Permissions. Read the Issue. Sign Up Now. Jan 1, Issue. Osteoarthritis: Diagnosis and Treatment. B 10 — 12 Acetaminophen should be used as first-line therapy for mild osteoarthritis. A 16 Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are superior to acetaminophen for treating moderate to severe osteoarthritis.

A 16 Intra-articular corticosteroid injections can be beneficial for short-term i. A 21 , 22 Compared with intra-articular corticosteroids, intra-articular hyaluronic acid injections of the knee are less effective in the short term, equivalent in the intermediate term i. B 26 , 27 The combination of glucosamine and chondroitin may decrease pain in patients with moderate to severe knee osteoarthritis, although the evidence for this effect is limited and inconsistent.

B 30 Patients who have continued pain and disability from osteoarthritis of the hip, knee, or shoulder despite maximal medical therapy are candidates for total joint replacement. Abstract Diagnosis Treatment References. Enlarge Print Table 1. Signs and Symptoms of Osteoarthritis Hand Pain on range of motion Hypertrophic changes at distal and proximal interphalangeal joints Heberden nodes and Bouchard nodes; Figure 1 Tenderness over carpometacarpal joint of thumb Shoulder Pain on range of motion Limitation of range of motion, especially external rotation Crepitus on range of motion Knee Pain on range of motion Joint effusion Crepitus on range of motion Presence of popliteal cyst Baker cyst Lateral instability Valgus or varus deformity Hip Pain on range of motion Pain in buttock Limitation of range of motion, especially internal rotation Foot Pain on ambulation, especially at first metatarsophalangeal joint Limited range of motion of first metatarsophalangeal joint, hallux rigidus Hallux valgus deformity Spine Pain on range of motion Limitation of range of motion Lower extremity sensory loss, reflex loss, motor weakness caused by nerve root impingement Pseudoclaudication caused by spinal stenosis.

Table 1. Enlarge Print Figure 1. Figure 1. Enlarge Print Figure 2. Figure 2. Enlarge Print Figure 3. Figure 3. Enlarge Print Figure 4. Figure 4. Enlarge Print Table 2.

Table 2. Enlarge Print Table 3. Table 3. Magnetic resonance imaging MRI. An MRI uses radio waves and a strong magnetic field to produce detailed images of bone and soft tissues, including cartilage. An MRI isn't commonly needed to diagnose osteoarthritis but can help provide more information in complex cases. Knee osteotomy Open pop-up dialog box Close. Knee osteotomy For some people, arthritis damages one side of the knee more than the other side. Artificial hip Open pop-up dialog box Close. Artificial hip Hip prostheses are designed to mimic the ball-and-socket action of your hip joint.

Knee comparisons Open pop-up dialog box Close. Knee comparisons One of the most common reasons for knee replacement surgery is severe pain from joint damage caused by wear and tear arthritis osteoarthritis. More Information Arthritis creams Opioids and arthritis Cortisone shots Elbow replacement surgery Hip replacement Knee replacement Shoulder replacement surgery Show more related information. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. More Information Simple tips for staying active and mobile with osteoarthritis Glucosamine: Does it affect blood sugar?

More Information Glucosamine: Does it protect cartilage in osteoarthritis? Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Osteoarthritis. Accessed March 7, Osteoarthritis adult.

Mayo Clinic; Kellerman RD, et al. In: Conn's Current Therapy Elsevier; Accessed March 2, Rakel D, ed. In: Integrative Medicine.