Symptoms and prognosis of osteoarthritis

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What are the symptoms of osteoarthritis?

Pain, stiffness, and limitation in full movement of the joint are typical. The stiffness tends to be worse first thing in the morning but tends to 'loosen up' after half an hour or so.
Swelling and inflammation of an affected joint can sometimes occur. (However, large joint swellings are unusual in OA. Tell your doctor if a joint suddenly swells up as this is a symptom that more commonly occurs with other types of arthritis.)
An affected joint tends to look a little larger than normal. This is due to overgrowth of the bone next to damaged cartilage.
Deformities of joints due to OA are uncommon, but sometimes develop.
You may have poor mobility if a knee or hip is badly affected.
No symptoms may occur.

Quite a number of people have X-ray changes that indicate some degree of OA but have no, or only very mild, symptoms. The opposite can also be true. That is, you may have quite severe symptoms but with only minor changes seen on the X-ray.

What is the outlook (prognosis) for people with osteoarthritis?

To have a certain degree of OA can almost be considered a normal part of ageing. A common wrong belief is that OA is always a progressive and serious disease. The severity of symptoms varies. In many older people, OA is mild, does not become worse, and does not make you any more disabled than expected for your age.
Symptoms often wax and wane. Sometimes this is related to such things as the weather. Symptoms often improve in warmer months. A bad spell of symptoms may be followed by a relatively good period. However, in some cases, the severity of OA and the disability it causes is out of proportion to your age. One or more joints may become particularly badly affected.