10. Joint Pain
Activities that require excessive, sudden, or heavy movements usually trigger the pain in the afflicted joints. Sometimes, one may even experience sleep disruption because of these occasional flare-ups.
But pain won’t be the only thing popping up every now and then…
9. Stiffness
In osteoarthritis, stiffness accompanies the occasional flare-ups. Stiffness of the joints might be most noticeable upon awakening or after a long period of inactivity. Typically, these bouts may last for about 30 minutes or less.
Tenderness is often a good thing, but not this kind…
8. Tenderness in the Joints
OA patients might feel a soft, painful sensation even when the slightest pressure is applied to or near the affected joints. These make daily activities and routines much harder to do.
The following is more visible than the others…
7. Swelling
In more advanced cases of osteoarthritis, the joints begin to swell quite visibly. It’s possible that swelling could be caused by soft tissue inflammation around the joint.
These, however, aren’t your average lumps…
6. Osteophytes
According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, this happens as a result of weakened cartilages, the damaged bones begin to grow outward and form osteophytes or bone spurs, which are extra bits of bone that form around the affected joints.
Sometimes you can ever hear some of the symptoms…
5. A “Grating” Sensation (Crepitus)
An OA patient might experience a strange, “grating” feeling (crepitus) when you move the joints, and might even hear a “crackling” sound. This might be due to the coarsening of the joint’s otherwise smooth surface.
Our next symptom has always been associated with arthritis…
4. Knee Buckling
While osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis both have knee buckling as a common symptom, in OA, only one of the knees is affected. Either way, it can be extremely painful and can hinder productivity.
That said, you won’t get to do your activities the way you did…
3. Loss of Flexibility
With all the aforementioned symptoms considered, having osteoarthritis-damaged joints means not being flexible enough to jump and dance around like normal.
In the long run, it begins to limit you more and more…
2. Limited Movement
As a degenerative condition, osteoarthritis makes movement strained and limited in the process. Having a worn out cartilage renders the absorption of energy from the pressure of movement impossible and difficult.
Our last symptom is a consequence of this imposed inactivity…
1. Muscle Wasting
A decrease in muscle mass is expected given the limited movement caused by the principal symptoms of osteoarthritis. According to a study by Japanese researchers, age is a major factor and can increase the risk for this condition.
