osteoarthritis symptoms

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Symptoms of osteoarthritis



Osteoarthritis is mainly characterized by joint pain and stiffness, although, in reality, not all people with osteoarthritis have pain and disability. Stiffness and pain tend to worsen in the morning (particularly for about 30 minutes after getting up) and again in the afternoon, often called "first movement pain" with improvements during the day as the person performs daily activities. The pain that interrupts sleep is often an indicator.

Other symptoms can be the following:

    Inflammation or heat in one or more joints, particularly during climatic changes (which may be related to changes in atmospheric pressure and cooler air)
    Localized sensitivity when pressing the joint or affected area of ​​the spine
    Sustained or intermittent pain in a joint, which is often described as fixed and continuous pain. Pain may be aggravated by movement
    Loss of flexibility of a joint, such as the inability to bend and lift something off the floor
    Sensation of compression or sound of bone scraping another bone when the joint moves (called crepitus), particularly noticeable in the neck
    An abnormal curve in the spine that may be due to a spasm of an unbalanced muscle
    A feeling of pinching, tingling, or numbness in a nerve of the spinal cord, which can occur when bone spurs form on the edge of the joints of the spine and irritate the nerves

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The pain of osteoarthritis increases over time

Osteoarthritis usually develops over time. At the beginning, it is possible that the person only feels joint pains after doing physical activity or exercise, which disappears and then returns as the affected joint is used normally or in excess. As the cartilage between the bones becomes thinner, the pain often becomes more permanent and it is difficult to walk or climb stairs.

The pain and stiffness of the joint can appear after long periods of inactivity, such as while sitting during long trips or watching a two-hour movie. With advanced osteoarthritis and increased friction between the bones, pain often becomes important, even at rest or with every small movement.

With progressive osteoarthritis, initially a single joint may be affected, but with time and activities, many joints may be affected: at the base of the neck, or in the knees, hips, hands, and / or feet .

Although it is less frequent, some patients may suffer severe deformities in certain joints over time. Osteoarthritis differs from the systemic forms of arthritis because it only affects the joints (although it can cause nerve entrapment at any level in the spinal column or in the spinal cord in the neck) and does not affect the organs or soft tissue areas of the body .

In This Article:

    Osteoarthritis of the spine
    Causes of osteoarthritis and arthritis of the spine
    Symptoms of osteoarthritis
    Diagnosis of osteoarthritis
    Video of lumbar osteoarthritis

Symptoms of osteoarthritis in the lower back (lumbar spine)

As with other joints with arthritis, pain in the lower back is usually more pronounced in the morning and worsens again as the end of the day approaches. The pain diminishes during the day since the normal movements of the person move the lubricating fluid of the joints. Pain in the lower back can usually radiate ("referred pain") to the pelvis, buttocks, or thighs and sometimes to the groin.


Irritation of a nerve by a herniated disc or bone spurs can cause weakness, numbness, tingling, and / or pain in the legs that often radiates to one foot. Arthritis that causes spinal stenosis or a narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower back can cause exercise-related symptoms or walking in both legs.

    See What is spinal stenosis?

Pain and other symptoms of osteoarthritis of the neck (cervical spine)

Neck pain from osteoarthritis again tends to be worse in the morning and afternoon, with improvements during the day. This pain often radiates to the shoulder, between the shoulder blades, and up the neck and causes a headache.

With nerve entrapment or herniated disc, there may also be weakness or numbness in one hand, certain fingers, or in some cases in both arms. The compression of the spinal cord in the neck can even cause problems when walking as well as control of the bladder or bowel in severe cases.
Conditions that are often mistaken for osteoarthritis

Because other conditions appear similar to osteoarthritis of the spine, particularly when symptoms are at their worst, it is important to receive an accurate clinical diagnosis from a medical specialist in spinal surgery or medicine.

Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis often affects several joints in a symmetrical pattern (affects both sides of the body). Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints and can affect other tissues or organs of the body. Therefore, when rheumatoid arthritis is exacerbated, symptoms may include fatigue, lack of appetite, low-grade fever, muscle and joint pains, and stiffness, again more noticeable in the morning and after periods of inactivity. The joints, usually in the hands, wrists, and feet, often become red, inflamed, painful, and tender.

Degenerative disc disease
Osteoarthritis is also often confused or associated with degenerative disc disease (or spondylosis), a gradual deterioration of one or more discs between the vertebrae of the spine. This is because osteoarthritis and degenerated discs are commonly found together. However, they are different conditions and it is important to know which anatomical changes in the spine are the real cause of the patient's pain or disability.

    Read more: What is degenerative disc disease?

An x-ray will show the degenerative disc disease as a narrowing of the normal disc space between adjacent vertebrae. An MRI can show the early changes in water content loss on the disc. The degeneration of the disc tissue increases its susceptibility to protruding or herniation. Disc degeneration can occur at any level of the spine and can cause local pain in the affected area with irradiation of pain along the nerves that emerge from the spinal canal at that level.

Systematic lumbar disc degeneration is more frequent in people of the active population, usually between 30 and 50 years. After 50 or 60 years, the affected area of ​​the spine actually tends to stabilize and the degenerative disc disease is less likely to cause pain. In general, disc degeneration or the formation of bone spurs with pain and disability can not be equated, since approximately 85% of people with this type of findings on an x-ray or tomography do not have clinically significant back problems.

Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis, or low calcium content in bones, is another condition that does not cause chronic back pain, but can lead to it. With osteoporosis, particularly more common in postmenopausal women, the loss of bone mineral (calcium) can weaken the bones in various parts of the body, especially in the hip and spine. Spinal fractures with compression (tightening) of the vertebral bodies may occur.


The pain of a fracture of the spine due to osteoporosis can last several weeks while the bone heals, and then usually becomes a chronic pain concentrated in the area of ​​the back where the fracture occurred. This pain may be similar to the sensation reported by people with osteoarthritis. To diagnose osteoporosis a bone density test is used, which measures the bone mass, preferably made in a long bone and in a vertebral body. In general, an x-ray can identify a compression fracture in the spine. Because the treatments for osteoarthritis and osteoporosis are very different, it is essential to receive an accurate diagnosis.