Symptoms of Osteoarthritis

List of symptoms of Osteoarthritis:

The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Osteoarthritis includes the 52 symptoms listed below:

• Joint symptoms
  • Joint pain
  • Joint stiffness
  • Joint tenderness
  • Tenderness around joint
  • Joint pain worse with exercise
  • Stiffness
  • Difficulty moving
  • Slow movement
  • Morning stiffness
  • Joint stiffness improves with movement
  • No pain - not everyone gets pain in the joints.
  • Crunching feeling
  • Crunching sound
  • Joint grating sensations
  • Swollen joints
  • Joint locking
  • Joint symptoms worse in cold or damp weather
  • Joint symptoms worse after periods of inactivity
• Other common symptoms:
  • Fever
  • Weight loss
  • Fatigue
  • Trouble breathing
  • Rash
  • Itch
• Symptom area depends on the affected joint
• Knee symptoms
  • Knee joint pain
  • Knee stiffness
  • Knee warmth
  • Knee instability
• Hip symptoms
  • Hip pain
  • Hip stiffness
  • Hip warmth
• Spine symptoms
  • Spine joint pain
  • Spine stiffness
  • Spine warmth
• Toe symptoms
  • Toe joint pain
  • Toe stiffness
  • Toe warmth
• Finger symptoms
  • Finger joint pain
  • Finger stiffness
  • Finger warmth
• Ankle symptoms
  • Ankle joint pain
  • Ankle stiffness
  • Ankle warmth

Note that Osteoarthritis symptoms usually refers to various symptoms known to a patient, but the phrase Osteoarthritis signs may refer to those signs only noticable by a doctor.

More ways to research these symptoms: To research other symptoms use the symptom center, or to research causes of more than one symptom in combination, try our multi-symptom search.

Research More About Osteoarthritis

Do I have Osteoarthritis?

• Osteoarthritis: Introduction
• Osteoarthritis: Diagnostic Testing to confirm diagnosis
• Home Diagnostic Testing
• Alternative diagnoses and misdiagnosis for Osteoarthritis
• Hidden Causes of Osteoarthritis
• Treatments for Osteoarthritis
• More about Osteoarthritis

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical tests related to Osteoarthritis:

• Home Andropause Tests
• Prostate Health: Home Testing:
  • Home Prostate Tests
  • Home PSA Antigen Tests
  • Home Testosterone Tests

Wrongly Diagnosed with Osteoarthritis?

The list of other diseases or medical conditions that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses for Osteoarthritis includes:

• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Lupus
• Gout
• Lyme disease
• Ankylosing spondylitis

See the full list of 25 alternative diagnoses for Osteoarthritis

More about symptoms of Osteoarthritis:

More information about symptoms of Osteoarthritis and related conditions:

• Other diseases with similar symptoms and common misdiagnoses
• Tests to determine if these are the symptoms of Osteoarthritis
• Symptoms that may be caused by complications of Osteoarthritis
• Underlying causes of Osteoarthritis
• Risk factors for Osteoarthritis

Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms

Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions, or drug side effect causes of that symptom.

• Ankle joint pain - see all causes of Ankle pain
• Ankle stiffness - see all causes of Ankle symptoms
• Ankle symptoms - see all causes of Ankle symptoms
• Difficulty moving - see all causes of Movement symptoms
• Fatigue - see all causes of Fatigue
• Fever - see all causes of Fever
• Finger joint pain - see all causes of Finger pain
• Finger stiffness - see all causes of Finger symptoms
• Finger symptoms - see all causes of Finger symptoms
• Finger warmth - see all causes of Finger symptoms
• Hip pain - see all causes of Hip pain
• Hip stiffness - see all causes of Stiff hip
• Hip symptoms - see all causes of Hip symptoms
• Itch - see all causes of Itching skin
• Joint locking - see all causes of Stiff joints
• Joint pain - see all causes of Joint pain
• Joint stiffness - see all causes of Stiff joints
• Joint symptoms - see all causes of Joint symptoms
• Joint tenderness - see all causes of Joint tenderness
• Knee joint pain - see all causes of Knee pain
• Knee stiffness - see all causes of Stiff knee
• Knee symptoms - see all causes of Knee symptoms
• Knee warmth - see all causes of Knee symptoms
• Morning stiffness - see all causes of Stiffness
• No pain - see all causes of Pain
• Rash - see all causes of Rash
• Slow movement - see all causes of Movement symptoms
• Spine joint pain - see all causes of Spine symptoms
• Spine symptoms - see all causes of Spine symptoms
• Stiffness - see all causes of Stiffness
• Swollen joints - see all causes of Joint swelling
• Tenderness around joint - see all causes of Joint pain
• Toe joint pain - see all causes of Toe pain
• Toe symptoms - see all causes of Toe symptoms
• Trouble breathing - see all causes of Breathing difficulties
• Weight loss - see all causes of Weight loss

Medical Books Online about Osteoarthritis

Medical Books Excerpts Excerpts of published medical book chapters related to Osteoarthritis are available from published medical books for more detailed information about Osteoarthritis.

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Related videos for Osteoarthritis

Patient Surveys for Osteoarthritis

• Patient Profile Survey
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• Survey about the symptoms of your Osteoarthritis
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Symptoms of Osteoarthritis: Online Medical Books

16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the symptoms of Osteoarthritis.

Psoriatic arthritis: Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

Psoriatic lesions usually precede the arthritic component; however, after the full syndrome is established, joint and skin lesions recur simultaneously. Arthritis may involve one joint or several joints symmetrically. Spinal involvement occurs in some patients. Peripheral joint involvement is most common in the distal interphalangeal joints of the hands, which have a characteristic sausage-like appearance. Nail changes include pitting, transverse ridges, onycholysis, keratosis, yellowing, and destruction. The patient may experience general malaise, fever, and eye involvement.

READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Rheumatoid arthritis: Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

RA usually develops insidiously and initially produces nonspecific signs and symptoms, such as fatigue, malaise, anorexia, persistent low-grade fever, weight loss, lymphadenopathy, and vague articular symptoms. Later, more specific localized articular symptoms develop, commonly in the fingers at the proximal interphalangeal, metacarpophalangeal, and metatarsophalangeal joints. These symptoms usually occur bilaterally and symmetrically and may extend to the wrists, knees, elbows, and ankles. The affected joints stiffen after inactivity, especially upon rising in the morning. The fingers may assume a spindle shape from marked edema and joint congestion. The joints become tender and painful, at first only when the patient moves them, but eventually even at rest. They commonly feel hot to the touch. Ultimately, joint function is diminished.

Deformities are common if active disease continues. (See Joint deformities.)  Proximal interphalangeal joints may develop flexion deformities or become hyperextended. Metacarpophalangeal joints may swell dorsally, and volar subluxation and stretching of tendons may pull the fingers to the ulnar side (“ulnar drift”). The fingers may become fixed in a characteristic “swan’s neck” appearance, or “boutonnière” deformity. The hands appear foreshortened, the wrists boggy; carpal tunnel syndrome from synovial pressure on the median nerve causes tingling paresthesia in the fingers.

The most common extra-articular finding is the gradual appearance of rheumatoid nodules — subcutaneous, round or oval, nontender masses — usually on pressure areas such as the elbows. Vasculitis can lead to skin lesions, leg ulcers, and multiple systemic complications. Peripheral neuropathy may produce numbness or tingling in the feet or weakness and loss of sensation in the fingers. Stiff, weak, or painful muscles are common. Other common extra-articular effects include pericarditis, pulmonary nodules or fibrosis, pleuritis, scleritis, and episcleritis.

Another complication is destruction of the odontoid process, part of the second cervical vertebra. Rarely, cord compression may occur, particularly in patients with long-standing deforming disease. Upper motor neuron signs and symptoms, such as a positive Babinski’s sign and muscle weakness, may also develop.

RA can also cause temporomandibular joint disease, which impairs chewing and causes earaches. Other extra-articular findings may include infection, osteoporosis, myositis, cardiopulmonary lesions, lymphadenopathy, and peripheral neuritis.

READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Osteoarthritis: Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

The most common symptom of osteoarthritis is a deep, aching joint pain, particularly after exercise or weight bearing, usually relieved by rest. Other symptoms include stiffness in the morning and after exercise (relieved by rest), aching during changes in weather, “grating’’ of the joint during motion, altered gait contractures, and limited movement. These symptoms increase with poor posture, obesity, and stress to the affected joint.

Osteoarthritis of the interphalangeal joints produces irreversible joint changes and node formation. The nodes eventually become red, swollen, and tender, causing numbness and loss of dexterity. (See What happens in osteoarthritis, page 590.)

READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis: Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

Signs and symptoms vary with the type of JRA. Affecting males and females almost equally, systemic JRA accounts for approximately 10% to 30% of cases. The affected children may have mild, transient arthritis or frank polyarthritis associated with fever and rash. Joint involvement may not be evident at first, but the child’s behavior may clearly suggest joint pain. Such a child may constantly want to sit in a flexed position, may not walk much, or may refuse to walk at all. Young children with JRA are noticeably irritable and listless.

Fever in systemic JRA occurs suddenly and spikes to 103° F (39.4° C) or higher once or twice daily, usually in the late afternoon, then rapidly returns to normal or subnormal. (This “sawtooth” or intermittent spiking fever pattern helps differentiate JRA from other inflammatory disorders.) When fever spikes, an evanescent rheumatoid rash commonly appears, consisting of small pale or salmon pink macules, usually on the trunk and proximal extremities and occasionally on the face, palms, and soles. Massaging or applying heat intensifies this rash. It’s usually most conspicuous where the skin has been rubbed or subjected to pressure such as the areas of skin covered by underclothing.

Other signs and symptoms of systemic JRA may include hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, pleuritis, pericarditis, myocarditis, and nonspecific abdominal pain.

Polyarticular JRA accounts for about 40% of cases and is three times more common in females than in males; affected children may be seronegative or seropositive for rheumatoid factor (RF). It involves five or more joints and usually develops insidiously. Most commonly involved joints are the wrists, elbows, knees, ankles, and small joints of the hands and feet. Polyarticular JRA can also affect larger joints, including the temporomandibular joints, cervical spine, hips, and shoulders. These joints become swollen, tender, and stiff. Usually, the arthritis is symmetrical; it may be remittent or indolent. The patient may run a low-grade fever with daily peaks. Listlessness and weight loss can occur, possibly with lymphadenopathy and hepatosplenomegaly. Other signs of polyarticular JRA include subcutaneous nodules on the elbows or heels and noticeable developmental retardation.

Seropositive polyarticular JRA, the more severe type, usually occurs late in childhood and can cause destructive arthritis that mimics adult rheumatoid arthritis.

Pauciarticular JRA involves few joints (usually no more than four), typically affecting the knees and other large joints. This form accounts for 45% of cases and has major subtypes. The first, pauciarticular JRA with chronic iridocyclitis, most commonly strikes females younger than age 6 and involves the knees, elbows, ankles, or iris. Inflammation of the iris and ciliary body is commonly asymptomatic but may produce pain, redness, blurred vision, and photophobia.

The second subtype, pauciarticular JRA with sacroiliitis, usually strikes males (9:1) older than age 8, who tend to test positive for human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B27. This subtype is characterized by lower extremity arthritis that produces hip, sacroiliac, heel, and foot pain as well as Achilles' tendinitis. These patients may later develop the sacroiliac and lumbar arthritis characteristic of ankylosing spondylitis. Some also experience acute iritis, but not as many as those with the first subtype.

The third subtype includes patients with joint involvement who are antinuclear antibody (ANA) and HLA-B27 negative and don’t develop iritis. These patients have a better prognosis than those with the first or second subtype.

Common to all types of JRA is joint stiffness in the morning or after periods of inactivity. Back pain and limited range  of motion is common. Growth disturbances may also occur, resulting in uneven length of arms or legs due to overgrowth or undergrowth adjacent to inflamed joints.

READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Psoriatic arthritis: Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)

Psoriatic lesions usually precede the arthritic component; however, when the full syndrome is established, joint and skin lesions may recur simultaneously. Arthritis may involve one joint or several joints asymmetrically or symmetrically. Spinal involvement occurs in some patients. Peripheral joint involvement is most common in the distal interphalangeal joints of the hands, which have a characteristic sausage-like appearance. Nail changes include pitting, transverse ridges, onycholysis, keratosis, yellowing, and destruction. The patient may experience general malaise, fever, and eye involvement.

READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Rheumatoid arthritis: Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)

RA usually develops insidiously and initially produces nonspecific signs and symptoms. These include fatigue, malaise, anorexia, persistent low-grade fever, weight loss, lymphadenopathy, and vague articular symptoms.

Specific symptoms

As the disease progresses, more specific localized articular symptoms develop, commonly in the fingers at the proximal interphalangeal (PIP), metacarpophalangeal (MCP), and metatarsophalangeal joints. These symptoms usually occur bilaterally and symmetrically and may extend to the wrists, knees, elbows, and ankles.

The affected joints stiffen after inactivity, especially on rising in the morning. The fingers may assume a spindle shape from marked edema and congestion in the joints. The joints become tender and painful, at first only when the patient moves them, but eventually even at rest. They often feel hot to the touch. Ultimately, joint function is diminished. Deformities are common if active disease continues.

PIP joints may develop flexion deformities or become hyperextended. MCP joints may swell dorsally, and volar subluxation and stretching of tendons may pull the fingers to the ulnar side (“ulnar drift”).

The fingers may become fixed in a characteristic swan-neck or boutonnière deformity. The hands appear foreshortened and, the wrists boggy; carpal tunnel syndrome from synovial pressure on the median nerve causes paresthesia in the fingers.

CLINICAL TIP: Early intervention, under the guidance of an occupational therapist, with splinting and joint protection devices can effectively delay the progression of joint deformities.

Extra-articular signs

The most common extra-articular finding is the gradual appearance of rheumatoid nodules — subcutaneous, round or oval, nontender masses. These are seen in 20% of RA patients who are RF-positive. They usually appear on pressure areas, such as the elbows, hands, and Achilles tendon.

Vasculitis can lead to skin lesions, leg ulcers, and multiple systemic complications. Peripheral neuropathy may produce numbness or tingling in the feet or weakness and loss of sensation in the fingers. Stiff, weak, or painful muscles are common.

Other common extra-articular effects include pericarditis, pulmonary nodules or fibrosis, pleuritis, scleritis, and episcleritis.

Other complications

Another complication is destruction of the odontoid process, which is part of the second cervical vertebra. With C₁ or C₂ instability and subluxation, spinal cord compression may occur, particularly in patients with long-standing deforming RA. Upper-motor-neuron signs and symptoms, such as a positive Babinski’s sign and muscle weakness, may also develop.

RA can also cause temporomandibular joint disease, which impairs chewing and causes earaches. Other extra-articular findings include infection, osteoporosis, myositis, cardiopulmonary lesions, lymphadenopathy, and peripheral neuritis.

READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Osteoarthritis: Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)

The most common symptom of osteoarthritis is a deep, aching joint pain, particularly after exercise or weight bearing, usually relieved by rest. Other symptoms include:

❑  stiffness in the morning and after exercise (relieved by rest)

❑  aching during changes in weather (joint pain in rainy weather)

❑  “grating” of the joint during motion

❑  altered gait contractures

❑  limited movement.

These symptoms increase with poor posture, obesity, and occupational stress.

Osteoarthritis of the interphalangeal joints produces irreversible changes in the distal joints (Heberden’s nodes) and proximal joints (Bouchard’s nodes). These nodes may be painless at first but eventually become red, swollen, and tender, causing numbness and loss of dexterity. (See Viewing osteoarthritis.)

READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis: Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)

Signs and symptoms vary with the type of JRA.

Systemic JRA

Affecting boys and girls almost equally, systemic JRA accounts for 20% to 30% of cases. Affected children may have mild, transient arthritis or frank poly-arthritis associated with fever and rash.

CLINICAL TIP: Joint involvement may not be evident at first, but the child’s behavior may clearly suggest joint pain. Such a child may want to constantly sit in a flexed position, may not walk much, or may refuse to walk at all. Young children with JRA are noticeably irritable and listless.

Fever in systemic JRA occurs suddenly and spikes to 103° F (39.4° C) or higher once or twice daily, usually in the late afternoon, then rapidly returns to normal or subnormal. (This sawtooth, or intermittent spiking, fever pattern helps differentiate JRA from other inflammatory disorders.) When fever spikes, an evanescent rheumatoid rash typically appears, consisting of small, pale or salmon pink macules, most commonly on the trunk and proximal extremities and occasionally on the face, palms, and soles.

Massaging or applying heat intensifies this rash, which is usually most conspicuous where the skin has been rubbed or subjected to pressure, such as that from underclothing.

Other signs and symptoms of systemic JRA include hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, pleuritis, pericarditis, myocarditis, and nonspecific abdominal pain.

Polyarticular JRA

Polyarticular JRA is four to nine times more common in girls than in boys and may be seronegative or seropositive for rheumatoid factor (RF). It involves five or more joints and usually develops insidiously. The joints most commonly involved are the wrists, elbows, knees, ankles, and small joints of the hands and feet.

Polyarticular JRA can also affect larger joints, including the temporomandibular joints and those of the cervical spine, hips, and shoulders. These joints become swollen, tender, and stiff.

Usually, the arthritis is symmetrical; it may be remittent or indolent. The patient may run a low-grade fever with daily peaks. Listlessness and weight loss can occur, possibly with lymphaden-opathy and hepatosplenomegaly. Other signs of polyarticular JRA include subcutaneous nodules on the elbows or heels and noticeable developmental retardation.

Seropositive polyarticular JRA, the more severe type, usually occurs late in childhood and can cause destructive arthritis that mimics adult RA.

Pauciarticular JRA

Involving few joints (usually no more than four), pauciarticular JRA usually affects the knees and other large joints. It accounts for 45% of cases. Three major subtypes exist:

❑ Pauciarticular JRA with chronic iridocyclitis most commonly affects girls younger than age 6 and involves the knees, elbows, ankles, or iris. Inflammation of the iris and ciliary body is typically asymptomatic, but may produce pain, redness, blurred vision, and photophobia. Young girls who test positive for antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) are at highest risk for eye complications.

❑ Pauciarticular JRA with sacroiliitis usually affects boys (9:1) older than age 8, who tend to be human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B27–positive. This subtype is characterized by lower-extremity arthritis that produces hip, sacroiliac, heel, and foot pain and Achilles tendinitis. These patients may later develop the sacroiliac and lumbar arthritis characteristic of ankylosing spondylitis. Some patients also experience acute iritis, but not as many as those with the first subtype.

❑ The third subtype includes patients with joint involvement who test negative for ANAs and HLA-B27 and who don’t develop iritis. Characterized by asymmetrical involvement of large or small joints, this subtype can strike at any age during childhood. These patients have a better prognosis than those with the first or second subtype, although some may progress to polyarticular disease.

Common to all types of JRA is joint stiffness in the morning or after periods of inactivity. Growth disturbances may also occur, resulting in overgrowth or undergrowth adjacent to inflamed joints.

READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »

Article Excerpts About Symptoms of Osteoarthritis:

Handout on Health Osteoarthritis: NIAMS (Excerpt)

The Warning Signs of Osteoarthritis

• Steady or intermittent pain in a joint
  
  

• Stiffness after getting out of bed
  
  

• Joint swelling or tenderness in one or more joints
  
  

• A crunching feeling or sound of bone rubbing on bone
  
  

• Hot, red, or tender? Probably not osteoarthritis. Check with your doctor about other causes, such as rheumatoid arthritis.
  
  

• Not always pain. Not everyone with osteoarthritis feels pain. In fact, only a third of people with osteoarthritis in their x rays report pain or other symptoms.

Questions and Answers About Knee Problems: NIAMS (Excerpt)

Someone who has arthritis of the knee may experience pain, swelling, and a decrease in knee motion. A common symptom is morning stiffness that lessens as the person moves around. Sometimes the joint locks or clicks when the knee is bent and straightened, but these signs may occur in other knee disorders as well. The doctor may confirm the diagnosis by performing a physical examination and examining x rays, which typically show a loss of joint space. Blood tests may be helpful for diagnosing rheumatoid arthritis, but other tests may be needed too. Analyzing fluid from the knee joint may be helpful in diagnosing some kinds of arthritis. The doctor may use arthroscopy to directly see damage to cartilage, tendons, and ligaments and to confirm a diagnosis, but arthroscopy is usually done only if a repair procedure is to be performed. (Source: excerpt from Questions and Answers About Knee Problems: NIAMS)

Arthritis: NWHIC (Excerpt)

Osteoarthritis begins when cartilage breaks down, sometimes eroding entirely to leave a bone-on-bone joint in extreme cases. Any joint can be affected, but the feet, knees, hips, and fingers are most common. It may appear in one or two joints and spread no further. (Source: excerpt from Arthritis: NWHIC)

Arthritis Advice - Age Page - Health Information: NIA (Excerpt)

OA usually affects the hands and the large weight-bearing joints of the body: the knees and hips. Early in the disease, pain occurs after activity and rest brings relief; later on, pain occurs with very little movement, even during rest. (Source: excerpt from Arthritis Advice - Age Page - Health Information: NIA)

Osteoarthritis as a Cause of Symptoms or Medical Conditions

When considering symptoms of Osteoarthritis, it is also important to consider Osteoarthritis as a possible cause of other medical conditions. The Disease Database lists the following medical conditions that Osteoarthritis may cause:

• Arthropathy
• Genu valgum
• Genu varum
• Heberden's nodes
• Temporomandibular joint syndrome

Osteoarthritis as a symptom:

For a more detailed analysis of Osteoarthritis as a symptom, including causes, drug side effect causes, and drug interaction causes, please see our Symptom Center information for Osteoarthritis.

Medical articles and books on symptoms:

These general reference articles may be of interest in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:

• Diagnostic Testing for a Diagnosis of Osteoarthritis
• Research Alternative Diagnoses for Osteoarthritis
• More about Osteoarthritis
• Online Diagnosis
• Self Diagnosis Pitfalls
• Pitfalls of Online Diagnosis
• Symptoms of the Silent Killer Diseases
• Lesser known silent killer diseases
• Books on signs and symptoms

Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis

About signs and symptoms of Osteoarthritis:

The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Osteoarthritis. This signs and symptoms information for Osteoarthritis has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Osteoarthritis signs or Osteoarthritis symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Osteoarthritis may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Osteoarthritis symptoms.