Osteoarthritis progresses with age and affects the area around the joints. One experiences pain, stiffness or swellings due to complete loss of cartilage cushion, extended periods of inactivity, or trauma. The pain differs in intensity from low to high, increasing in humid weather, followed by muscle spasm and contraction. The time to worry is when this pain in the hip, knee, spine or feet persists for more than two weeks.
Osteoarthritis symptoms vary from patient to patient. What is interesting about Osteoarthritis is that symptoms do not always progress with time. Patients can have days of no pain or unpleasant days of acute pain due to weather changes. In progressive osteoarthritis, symptoms get magnified and other joints of the body are affected. These joints include the neck, knees, hips, hands, or feet. Crepitus, a creaking sound when a bone rubs against another bone, is prominent in the neck. The pain worsens in mornings and evenings and subsides during day time. If a patient feels pinching or tingling, or there is numbness in a nerve or the spinal cord, it means that bone spurs are forming at edge of the joints of the spine and irritating the nerves. Different body parts may experience differing symptoms. For example, with osteoarthritis of hip, the major weight-bearing joint is stiff and difficult to move.
Osteoarthritis symptoms need to be verified before any medication is prescribed, as the symptoms are often confused with spondylosis. Spondylosis is responsible for gradual deterioration of the discs between vertebrae of the spine. Spondylosis and osteoarthritis are generally found together, and one needs to be sure before start of treatment. Another common mix-up is with symptoms of Osteoporosis, or low calcium content of the bones. The pain from an Osteoporotic spinal fracture is similar to one felt by Osteoarthritis patients. Verification of symptoms in initial stages helps reduce unnecessary tension and trauma.
