Symptoms of osteoarthritis

Symptoms of osteoarthritis usually come on slowly and vary from day to day.

Typical symptoms

• Pain in or around the joint, worse with use, such as climbing stairs or rising from a chair
• Stiffness after rest or in the morning, usually lasting under 30 minutes
• Swelling from extra joint fluid or bone changes
• Crackling or grating when the joint moves
• Reduced movement and difficulty with daily tasks
• Weakness or a feeling the knee may give way
• Bony lumps at finger joints (Heberden's and Bouchard's nodes)

By joint

• Knee: pain on stairs, squatting, getting up from the floor
• Hip: groin or thigh pain, difficulty putting on socks
• Hand: pain and stiffness at the finger tips and thumb base
• Spine: neck or lower back stiffness, sometimes with arm or leg symptoms

Ayurvedic view

Ayurveda lists Sandhishoola (joint pain), Sandhishotha (swelling) and Akunchana-prasarana vedana (pain on bending and stretching). These match the above and are an interpretive description.

Signs that need prompt care

A hot, red, very painful joint, fever, sudden swelling, numbness or leg weakness, or inability to bear weight need urgent medical review. They can signal infection, or nerve compression.