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Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is change in the cartilage and bone of a joint, most often the knees, hips, hands and spine. The single most useful thing to understand is that the degree of change on imaging correlates poorly with how much pain someone has. Exercise is first-line treatment in every major guideline. It will not reverse the changes, but it reliably reduces pain and improves what you can do.
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Does this sound like you?
Most people have several of these, not all of them.
- Joint pain that builds with use through the day
- Morning stiffness that eases within about half an hour
- Reduced range of movement in the affected joint
- Grinding or creaking on movement
- Swelling after heavier activity
Why it happens
- Age-related change in the joint surfaces
- Previous joint injury or surgery
- Years of heavy or repetitive loading
- Higher body weight, particularly for knees and hips
- Family history and genetic factors
What we would do about it
Roughly in this order — each step waits for the one before it.
- Progressive strengthening, the most effective treatment available
- Range of movement work to preserve what is there
- Load and pacing advice so activity is steady rather than swinging
- Manual therapy and hydrotherapy for symptom relief
- Aids, bracing or footwear where they reduce joint load
- Pre-operative strengthening if a joint replacement is planned
See a doctor first if
- Your pain followed a significant injury
- It is getting worse rather than settling
- It comes with numbness, weakness or unexplained weight loss
This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Symptoms overlap between conditions, so the right treatment depends on an assessment.
Wear and tear is not the whole story
People with significant changes on scans often walk comfortably, and people with mild changes are sometimes in a great deal of pain. Strength is a large part of the difference. Ask a question first, or call us on 0403 907 587.
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Other chronic conditions we treat
Related reading: osteoarthritis of the knee, osteoarthritis of the hip and long-standing pain.
General information only, not advice about your own problem — nothing here replaces an assessment. Source: Osteoarthritis on Physiopedia.
