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Page 1 of 2 Signs and symptoms
Osteoarthritis: The main symptom is acute pain, causing loss of ability and often stiffness. "Pain" is generally described as a sharp ache, or a burning sensation in the associated muscles and tendons.
OA can cause a crackling noise (called "crepitus") when the affected joint is moved or touched, and patients may experience muscle spasm and contractions in the tendons.
Occasionally, the joints may also be filled with fluid. Humid weather increases the pain in many patients.
OA commonly affects the hips, feet, spine and the large weight bearing joints, such as the hips and knees, although in theory, any joint in the body can be affected.
As OA progresses, the affected joints appear larger, are stiff and painful, and usually feel worse, the more they are used throughout the day, thus distinguishing it from rheumatoid arthritis.
In smaller joints, such as at the fingers, hard bony enlargements, called Heberden's nodes (on the distal interphalangeal joints) and/or Bouchard's nodes (on the proximal interphalangeal joints), may form, and though they are not necessarily painful, they do limit the movement of the fingers significantly. OA at the toes leads to the formation of bunions, rendering them red or swollen.
OA is the most common cause of water on the knee, an accumulation of excess fluid in or around the knee joint.
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