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Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (also referred to as OA, degenerative arthritis, or degenerative joint disease), is a condition in which low-grade inflammation results in pain in the joints, caused by abnormal wearing of the cartilage that covers and acts as a cushion inside joints and destruction or decrease of synovial fluid that lubricates those joints.

The principal symptom is severe pain, causing loss of ability and often stiffness. The patient's pain is typically described as a sharp ache, or a burning feeling in the affected muscles and tendons. Osteoarthritis can cause a crackling noise when the associated joint is moved or touched. People with OA may also experience muscle spasms and contractions in the tendons. Occasionally, the joints may also be filled with fluid.

Osteoarthritis typically affects the large weight bearing joints, such as the hips and knees, as well as the feet and spine, but any joint in the body can be affected. As the patient's condition advances, the affected joints appear larger, are stiff and painful, and usually feel worse, the more they are used throughout the day. This is what distinguishing OA from rheumatoid arthritis.

In smaller joints, like the fingers, hard bony enlargements, called Heberden's nodes and/or Bouchard's nodes may develop, and though nodes may not be painful, they do limit the movement of the fingers considerably. OA at the toes leads to the formation of bunions, making them red or swollen.

OA is the most common form of arthritis and the leading cause of chronic disability in the United States. OA is also the most common cause of water on the knee, an accumulation of excess fluid in or around the knee joint.

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Rheumatologist

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www.rheumatology.org

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