Osteoarthritis (OA) Symptoms

Symptoms of osteoarthritis usually don’t appear overnight, but over time. Unless you take steps to alleviate some of the symptoms, they may worsen over time.

Here are some symptoms of this form of arthritis you should pay attention to:
• Stiffness of joints, especially when you first get up in the morning.
• Pain or tenderness, also noticeable when you first waken in the morning or if you’ve had a long period of sitting, such as a car trip.
• A grating or popping sensation when you move the joint.
• Lack of flexibility to move a joint as you have in the past.
• Bone spurs (bone growth) may develop around an affected joint.
• Swelling around a joint that’s tender and painful when you try to use it.
• Joint pains occurring more severely at the end of a day or after you’ve used them a great deal.

The severity of osteoarthritis and the pain you have will vary according to how far the disorder has progressed. That’s why it’s so important to alleviate the symptoms before they build up and limit you even more.

When osteoarthritis begins to affect your lifestyle and limit your activities, it’s time to seek some relief. Eventually, even small tasks such as opening a jar, using your fingers to move a computer mouse, walking up flights of stairs or needlework can seem like monumental undertakings.

Types of Osteoarthritis: There are several types of arthritic conditions which may affect where you experience the pain and how degenerative the condition might be.

Here are some major types of osteoarthritis and how each might affect your physical well-being:
• Hip – You may have problems walking if your hip has degenerative arthritis.
• Knee – As the cartilage wears down, the bones rubbing together may cause pain and difficulty walking.
• Hand – Finger pain and lack of flexibility may occur if osteoarthritis has settled in your hand.
• Foot – Osteoarthritis may affect your feet and ankle by causing pain and lack of flexibility.
• Cervical – Cervical spondylosis affects the bones in your neck, including joints and discs and can cause pain and limited movement.
• Spinal – As in cervical osteoarthritis, the discs of the spine are affected in the neck and back.
• Shoulder – Also affects movement of the shoulder and can cause pain. An old injury may cause the onset of this type of osteoarthritis.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a severe form of arthritis and differs from Osteoarthritis.
• Osteoarthritis occurs because of breaking down of the joints by wear and tear.
• RA is an “autoimmune” disease occurring when your immune system actually attacks the joints in your body causing pain and inflammation. Lean how to control inflammation and heal OA or RA here.