Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is wear-related joint disease that commonly affects the knees, hips, hands, and spine. It causes pain and stiffness that usually worsen with use.
Symptoms
Symptoms include joint pain, stiffness after rest, reduced range of motion, and swelling in some cases.
Causes and risk
Age, prior injury, obesity, and repetitive joint stress raise risk.
How it is evaluated
We review which joints hurt, when the pain occurs, function limits, and whether another cause of joint pain needs to be considered.
Treatment
Treatment often includes exercise, weight loss when relevant, physical therapy, topical or oral medicine, and joint-specific strategies.