Coping With Osteoarthritis

This condition causes joints to become painful and stiff, but there are ways to help

- Dr Gill Jenkins

Osteoarthritis is the commonest type of arthritis in the UK. The main symptoms are joint pain and stiffness, and limited joint movement. Some people notice swelling, tenderness, grating or crackling sounds when moving affected joints. The severity of symptoms varies greatly from person to person, and between different affected joints. For some, the symptoms are mild and intermittent, others experience more continuous and severe problems, making it difficult to carry out everyday activities. Any joint can be affected, but it’s most common in the knees, hips and small joints of the hands.

As part of normal life, your joints undergo constant low-level damage. Usually, your body repairs the damage itself and you don’t have symptoms, but in osteoarthritis, the protective cartilage on the ends of your bones breaks down, causing pain, swelling and stiffness. Bony growths may develop around the joint and the area becomes red and swollen.

The exact cause is unknown. It’s associated with ageing, but several things increase your risk of developing osteoarthritis, particularly joint injury, such as overusing the joint when it’s not had enough time to heal after an injury or operation. Obesity puts excess strain on your joints, especially weight-bearing ones, such as your knees and hips. Other conditions, such as gout or rheumatoid arthritis, damage joints, predisposing to secondary osteoarthritis. It’s commoner in women and may run in families.