What is Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is most common in the joints of the knees, hips, hands, fingers, neck and spine, although it can affect any joint in the body.

Osteoarthritis symptoms include pain, stiffness and swelling in joints, especially when getting up in the morning. If your OA is severe, you may feel pain for the entire day, or lose your ability to use the joint. Pain and stiffness in the hands and loss of grip strength and dexterity are common, making it challenging to open jars or grip something tightly in the hands.

Even five or ten pounds of weight loss significantly reduces the strain across a weight-bearing joint, and can improve pain and reduce the need for joint replacement in the future.

Many individuals will not have any osteoarthritis symptoms. Others will have quite severe symptoms.

OA medications include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroid injections, acetaminophen and pain medications such as opioids.