Arthritis will affect tissues around the joints and other connective tissues throughout the body.
OA is a leading cause of disability worldwide.
This article will cover osteoarthritis symptoms, causes, treatment, and more.
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Pain will be worse after an activity or after a long day.
Joints can become stiff after rest or inactivity, but stiffness improves with movement.
Symptoms of OA will vary depending on the activities you are doing.
OA can affect any joint.
Additional symptoms of OA include:
AsOA advances, pain can become more intense.
You might also experience severe swelling in the tissues surrounding the affected joints.
Complications of Osteoarthritis
Left untreated, OA can lead to physical and emotional complications.
Conditions leading to secondary OA include prior injury, infection, or another disease like rheumatoid arthritis.
Primary OA is more common in older adults.
Putting stress on the joints damages cartilage, leading to pain and swelling.
Severe cartilage damage causes bones to rub against other bones in the joints, leading to more pain.
Cartilage damage can also trigger the growth of bone spurs around the joints.
Osteoarthritis can run in families.
In some cases, you’re free to inherit an increased risk for the condition.
Your treatment options for OA will depend on how severe your symptoms are and what joints are affected.
Others will require more potent medicines or surgery to treat the effects of OA.
Medications
Different medications can provide relief from OA pain and other symptoms.
Hot and Cold Therapy
Hot and cold treatments can offer temporary relief.
Heat therapy stimulates blood circulation and alters pain sensations.
Cold can reduce swelling by constricting blood vessels and numbing pain.
Options for heat therapy include heating pads, heated washcloths or towels, or warm baths and showers.
Cold therapy options include ice packs, a bag of frozen vegetables, or a frozen water bottle.
This recommendation is often made to people whose OA is severe.
Different surgical options are available, including minimally invasive ones and joint replacement surgery.
OA Prevention
It is not possible to completely prevent OA.
Nor is there any medication available to stop or reverse the progression of OA.
However, minimizing your risk for the condition is possible by avoiding injury and living a healthy lifestyle.
OA causes the loss of cartilage, the slippery material at the ends of bones.
The damaged cartilage makes movement painful and can lead to bone spurs and bone-on-bone pain.
Treatment for OA focuses on symptom management and maintaining joint function.
Treatment options include medications, home remedies, lifestyle changes, and surgery as a last resort.
A Word From Verywell
Osteoarthritis gradually develops over many years or decades.
For most people, having mild or infrequent joint pain does not warrant the need for treatment.
Some types of arthritis, however, require prompt medical attention.
For example, inflammatory arthritis conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis can cause permanent damage.
Quick treatment can help preserve your joint function and prevent serious health problems.
If you experience fever or severe fatigue with joint pain, let a healthcare provider know immediately.
They can examine you and determine the source of joint pain before any serious problems arise.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most common triggers of OA pain are overdoing activities or joint trauma.
Rheumatoid arthritis is one of the most painful types of arthritis.
It causes painful swelling in the joints, especially the small joints of the hands and feet.
It can affect other tissues in the body, including the organs.
It is possible to keep osteoarthritis from progressing.
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