What Is Osteoarthritis?

There are 2 types of osteoarthritis – primary and secondary. Both types of osteoarthritis may affect your fingers, hips, knees, ankles or toes.

1.Primary osteoarthritis

Primary osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage between your bones degenerates. As you age, the water content in your cartilage decreases, making it weaker and more susceptible to damage.

2.Secondary osteoarthritis

Secondary osteoarthritis, on the other hand, is not related to ageing and is caused by injury, disease or genetic factors.

Both types of osteoarthritis may affect your fingers, hips, knees, ankles or toes.

What are the symptoms of osteoarthritis?

The symptoms for both types of osteoarthritis are similar. Pain and stiffness in your affected joints during or after movement are common, as are tenderness and swelling.

You will experience a loss of flexibility in your affected joints, and a grating sensation that is accompanied by clicking or cracking sounds.

In the early stages of osteoarthritis, you may only feel pain and discomfort when you are using your joints, or when you awake in the morning. However, as your condition worsens, you may experience these symptoms even when you are resting.