Nursing Teaching on Signs and Symptoms of Osteoarthritis

Patient/caregiver was educated on the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis as follows:

1. Pain and tenderness: Loss of articular cartilage results in the exposure of bone ends, which rub against each other during movement in the joint. This rubbing of the bone ends lead to bone remodeling, pain, and inflammation in the joint involved. White blood cells, which are protective and fight against any infecting organisms, increasingly migrate to the affected joint as part of inflammatory response. Chemicals released from these white blood cells not only increase sensitivity to pain, but also contribute to release of further pain causing chemicals. This results in exacerbated pain and tenderness in the involved joints. Pain with osteoarthritis tend to involve the weightbearing big joints and aggravate as the day progresses, with increased usage of the involved joint.
2. Grating sensation in the joint: The rubbing of the bone ends against each other creates a grating sensation in the joint.
3. Bone spurs: Damaged bone ends rubbing against each other can result in formation of small, pointed, extra pieces of bone that can be felt as a lump near the joint involved.
4. Warmth and redness: Chemicals from the white cells and damaged joint tissues can contribute to relaxation and dilation of blood vessels in and around the joint, resulting in more blood flow to the joint. Increased blood flow results in warmth and redness to the involved joint.
5. Swelling: Chemicals released as part of inflammatory process contribute to relaxation and dilation of blood vessels in and around the joint, resulting in more blood flow to the joint. Dilation of blood vessels can also lead to increased leakage of fluid from the blood vessels. This increased leakage of fluid combined with fluid leaked out of damaged joint tissues lead to excessive swelling.
6. Limited range of motion: The pain and swelling can lead to stiffness and limitation in the range of motion of the involved joints.