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Osteoarthritis

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Alternative Names:

Hypertrophic osteoarthritis; Osteoarthrosis; Degenerative joint disease; DJD; OA; Arthritis - osteoarthritis

Symptoms:

• gradual and subtle onset of deep aching joint pain
  • worse after exercise or weight bearing
  • often relieved by rest
• joint swelling
• limited movement
• morning stiffness
• grating of the joint with motion
• joint pain in rainy weather

Note: There may be no symptoms.

Signs and tests:

A physical exam can show limited range of motion, grating of a joint with motion, joint swelling, and tenderness.

An x-ray of affected joints will show loss of the joint space, and in advanced cases, wearing down of the ends of the bone and bone spurs.

References:

Harris ED, Budd RC, Genovese MC, Firestein GS, Sargent JS, Sledge CB, Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology , 7th ed. St. Louis, MO; W.B. Saunders; 2005.

US Food and Drug Administration. FDA Announces Series of Changes to the Class of Marketed Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) . Rockville, MD: National Press Office; April 7, 2005. Press Release P05-16.

US Food and Drug Administration. FDA Issues Public Health Advisory Recommending Limited Use of Cox-2 Inhibitors . Rockville, MD: National Press Office; December 23, 2004. Talk Paper T04-61.

• Review Date: 10/20/2005
• Reviewed By: Kevin B. Freedman, MD, MSCE, Sports Medicine, Orthopaedic Specialists, Bryn Mawr, PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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