Symptoms include:

• Joint pain
• Loss of Flexibility
• Sounds of rubbing, grating, or crackling sound when moving the joint
• Stiffness
• Swelling
• Tenderness

Diagnostic tests include:

• Blood tests (to rule out other issues)
• Joint fluid analysis
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
• Physical examination
• X-ray

There are two major types of osteoarthritis:

Primary (Idiopathic) – This is the most common type and is diagnosed when there is no known cause for the symptoms.

Secondary – This is diagnosed when there is a known and identifiable cause. It is usually from some kind of trauma or underlying joint disorder.

There are no known causes for Osteoarthritis, but there are risk factors for this progressive disease. They include:

• Being overweight
• Certain jobs
• Gender
• Genetics
• Older age
• Joint injuries

• Osteoarthritis affects more than 30 million US adults.
• Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis in the U.S.
• Osteoarthritis occurs equally in men and women before age 55, and is more common in women after age 55.
• There is no cure for us to Osteoarthritis.
• The risk of Osteoarthritis increases with age.