Knee pain, aching joints, sore back, hip stiffness – these are all common complaints with many possible causes, including osteoarthritis. Although not curable, osteoarthritis can be managed and its progression slowed. Read on to find out what osteoarthritis is, how it’s diagnosed and treated, and what you can do to manage symptoms.
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Knee pain, aching joints, sore back, hip stiffness – these are all common complaints with many possible causes, including osteoarthritis. Although not curable, osteoarthritis can be managed and its progression slowed. Read on to find out what osteoarthritis is, how it’s diagnosed and treated, and what you can do to manage symptoms.
Arthritis is often thought of as a single disease. In fact, it is an umbrella term for more than 100 medical conditions that affect the joints and surrounding connective tissues (muscles, tendons and ligaments).
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis.
Find out more about other kinds of arthritis.
Osteoarthritis affects all parts of a whole joint, including bone, cartilage, ligaments and muscles. In osteoarthritis, you may get:
Osteoarthritis can affect any joint, but most commonly occurs in knees, hips, big toes and fingers.
People of all ages can develop osteoarthritis but it is most common in people over 40 years of age or those who have had joint injuries.
Osteoarthritis that develops slowly and progressively in a previously healthy joint is known as ‘primary’ osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis in joints that have been injured or damaged is called ‘secondary’ osteoarthritis.
Osteoarthritis is caused by inflammation, breakdown, and eventually, loss of cartilage in the joints.
In healthy joints, cartilage is smooth and slippery and acts as padding to prevent bones from rubbing against each other. The space between the smooth cartilage of the bones in a joint is lubricated by a thick fluid called synovial fluid.
In joints with osteoarthritis, the cartilage becomes damaged which leaves bones unprotected and vulnerable to further damage.
These factors can increase your risk of developing osteoarthritis:
A diagnosis of osteoarthritis is based on history, symptoms and a physical examination of affected joint(s). For example, the doctor might examine your knees by moving them forward and back to note your range of motion, and to find out which movements cause pain.
Tests such as X-rays or blood tests are usually not needed, because if you have osteoarthritis, results from these types of tests don’t usually change how you need to be treated and managed. An X-ray may be useful if your doctor is uncertain about the diagnosis and wants to exclude other problems. A blood test may be helpful if your doctor wants to rule out another type of arthritis.
Not everyone with osteoarthritis will have symptoms, and sometimes people may experience severe symptoms but X-rays show only minor changes to joints.
Symptoms vary from person to person, and also depend on which joints are affected. Symptoms and signs can include:
Some people with osteoarthritis may develop other problems if their symptoms get worse. Chronic pain and losing the ability to carry out daily activities can cause depression and/or anxiety in some people, or pain may affect the quality of their sleep.
If you need help with managing other symptoms that may be related to osteoarthritis, speak to your doctor first to find out what kind of health professional is the right person to see. You may need a referral for some types of treatment.
There are actions you can take to help prevent and reduce the impact of osteoarthritis on your daily life.
Learning how to manage your osteoarthritis effectively involves building skills such as goal setting, decision making, problem solving and self-monitoring.
Research shows that people with osteoarthritis who participate in self-management education programs improve their skills and confidence to manage their condition. This can also improve both mental health (including anxiety and depression) and physical health.
Learn about new treatments, what works best, and other up-to-date information on the myjointpain website.
Download free fact sheets on a range of topics about arthritis from the Arthritis Australia website.
If you are experiencing pain related to your osteoarthritis, there are several medicine options for you to choose from. Starting with a cream or gel before moving to oral medicines may be a good option, or a combination of the two may be more effective at relieving aches and pains.
Topical medicines that reduce inflammation can be rubbed on to the skin over affected joints for pain relief. Examples include products that contain the active ingredient ibuprofen or diclofenac.
These treatments can be as effective as oral pain relievers for some people, especially if you have osteoarthritis in more accessible joints such as the knee or hand. Topical treatments are also well tolerated.
Paracetamol is commonly used to treat osteoarthritis. However, a recent study found that, on its own, it provided minimal pain relief for osteoarthritis. Paracetamol has fewer side effects than non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, naproxen or diclofenac, but large doses of paracetamol can damage the liver.
Find out more about safe use of paracetamol.
If paracetamol or topical treatments do not provide suitable pain relief from osteoarthritis, some people may find over-the-counter oral NSAIDs helpful. Not everyone can use these medicines on a regular basis everyone. So it is recommended that you speak with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist to ensure oral NSAIDs are an option for your condition.
Opioids are a group of medicines that are commonly used to treat severe acute pain or cancer pain. However they are often not very effective in chronic pain that is not caused by cancer. Opioid medicines may contain active ingredients such as morphine, codeine, oxycodone, tramadol, or methadone. International osteoarthritis guidelines only recommend strong opioids in exceptional cases. They are only available with a prescription from your doctor.
Cain C, Smith P. Registrars Notebook: Osteoarthritis. Bedford Park SA: Orthopaedic Registrars of the South Australian Training Program undated.
