Diagnosing Osteoarthritis
Symptoms include:
- Mild to severe pain in a joint,
especially after overuse or long periods of inactivity, such as sitting for a long time.
Most commonly affected joints are those in the knee, hip, hand, or spine.
- Pain usually increases when the joint
is used or stressed.
- Pain is usually decreased by resting
the joint.
- The pain may be described as dull and
achy or a sharper, stabbing sensation.
- Stiffness that can make everyday
activities difficult, such as leaning down to pick something up, putting on shoes, opening
a jar, walking, or climbing stairs.
- Stiffness first thing in the morning
is common, usually lasting under 30 minutes after you resume activity.
- Stiffness after any period of
inactivity is common (such as after sitting still for a couple of hours in a movie theater
or on an airplane).
- Stiffness decreases your range of
motion, so that you can't bend or unbend a joint as far as you normally could.
- Weakness in muscles around the sore
joint. You may have a feeling of instability in the joint. For example, your knee may feel
as if it is going to buckle underneath you.
- You may feel or hear a grating or
creaking sound when you bend or unbend your joint.
- Your joint may develop an abnormal
appearance:
It may be inflamed, red, swollen.
It may appear misaligned or misshapen.
Tests Used to Diagnose
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is usually diagnosed after your health care provider has taken a
careful history of your symptoms and performs a thorough physical examination. There are
no definitive laboratory tests to make an absolute diagnosis of osteoarthritis, although
certain tests may confirm your healthcare provider's impression that you have developed
osteoarthritis. Tests may include:
- x-ray examination of an affected
joint
A joint that is affected by osteoarthritis will have lost some of the normal space that
exists between the bones that make up the joint (the joint space). There may be tiny new
bits of bone (bone spurs) visible at the end of the bones. Other signs of joint and bone
deterioration may also be present. X-rays, however, will not show very much in the earlier
stages of osteoarthritis, even when you are clearly experiencing symptoms.
- arthrocentesis
Using a thin needle, your healthcare provider may remove a small bit of joint fluid from
an affected joint. The fluid can be examined in a laboratory to make sure that no other
disorder is causing your symptoms (such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout, or infection). The
presence of cartilage cells in the fluid may indicate osteoarthritis.
- blood tests
Blood tests may be done to make sure that no other disorder is responsible for your
symptoms (such as rheumatoid arthritis or other autoimmune diseases that include forms of
arthritis). Researchers are also looking at whether the presence of certain substances in
the blood might indicate osteoarthritis and help predict the severity of the condition.
These substances include breakdown products of hyaluronic acid (a substance that
lubricates joints) and a liver product called C-reactive protein.
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