Patient/caregiver was educated on the signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis as follows:
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.
Grating sensation in the joint
- The rubbing of the bone ends against each other creates a grating sensation in the joint.
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.
