Osteoarthritis (cont.)
What are symptoms of osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is a disease of the
joints. Unlike many other forms of arthritis that are systemic illnesses, such
as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus, osteoarthritis
does not affect other organs of the body. The most common symptom of
osteoarthritis is pain in the affected joint(s) after repetitive use. Joint pain
is usually worse later in the day. There can be swelling, warmth, and creaking
of the affected joints. Pain and stiffness of the joints can also occur after
long periods of inactivity, for example, sitting in a theater. In severe
osteoarthritis, complete loss of cartilage cushion causes friction between
bones, causing pain at rest
or pain with limited motion.
Symptoms of osteoarthritis vary greatly from patient to
patient. Some
patients can be debilitated by their symptoms. On the other
hand, others
may have remarkably few symptoms in spite of dramatic
degeneration of the
joints apparent on X-rays. Symptoms also can be intermittent.
It is not
unusual for patients with osteoarthritis of the finger joints of the hands and knees
to have
years of pain-free intervals between symptoms.
Osteoarthritis of the knees is often associated with
excess upper body weight, with obesity, or a history of repeated injury and/or joint surgery. Progressive
cartilage degeneration of the knee joints can lead to deformity and outward
curvature of the knees referred to as "bowlegged." Patients with osteoarthritis
of the weight-bearing joints (like the knees) can develop a limp. The limping
can worsen as more cartilage degenerates. In some patients, the pain, limping,
and joint dysfunction may not
respond to medications or other conservative measures. Therefore, severe
osteoarthritis of the knees is one of the most common reasons
for total
knee replacement surgical procedures in the United States.
Osteoarthritis of the cervical spine or lumbar spine cause pain in the neck or low back. Bony spurs, called osteophytes, that form along the arthritic spine can irritate spinal nerves, causing severe pain, numbness, and tingling of the affected parts of the body.
Osteoarthritis causes the formation of hard, bony
enlargements of the small joints of the fingers. Classic bony enlargement of the
small joint at the end of the fingers is called a Heberden's node, named after a
very famous British doctor. The bony deformity is a result of the bone spurs
from the osteoarthritis in that joint. Another common bony knob (node)
occurs at the middle joint of the fingers in many patients with
osteoarthritis and is called a Bouchard's node. Dr. Bouchard was a famous
French doctor who also studied arthritis patients in the late 1800s. Heberden's and
Bouchard's nodes may not be painful, but they are often associated with limitation of motion of the joint. The characteristic
appearances of these finger nodes
can be helpful in diagnosing osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis of
the joint
at the base of the big toe of the foot leads to the formation of a bunion.
Osteoarthritis of the fingers and the toes may have a genetic
basis and
can be found in numerous female members of some families.
Next: How is osteoarthritis diagnosed? »
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