What are the most common symptoms of osteoarthritis?
Pain is the most common symptom, and it occurs primarily when the joint is moved, rarely at rest. Pain is often accompanied by crepitus (a crackling sound). Some patients experience a “gelling phenomenon” — the perception of stiffness, usually lasting less than 20 minutes in the affected joint. Why some people have pain with osteoarthritis and others do not remains unknown. The perception of pain depends not only on the disease process and the brain’s processing of pain messages, but also on cultural, gender, and psychological factors. The joints most commonly involved are: the last and middle joint in the fingers; the joint that joins the thumb to the wrist; the hip; the knee; the neck; and the lower back. Osteoarthritis is not associated with the presence of fever, weight loss, anorexia, severe muscle atrophy, or symmetrical joint involvement. That is, when the left knee is affected, the right may not be — in contrast to other forms of arthritis where both are apt to be affected, c
