
What is osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a condition that affects everything that makes up a joint in your body, like the bone, the cartilage, the ligaments and the muscles.
It can happen in any joint but occurs mostly in the knees, hips, finger joints and big toes.
OA occurs when the joint is working too hard to repair itself after long term wear and tear.
How did I get OA?
There are some things that can put you at risk of getting OA in your joints, like:
- Being overweight
- Having family members that also have OA
- Having an old injury to the joint
- Jobs that requiring lots of heavy lifting, kneeling down or climbing
How do I feel with osteoarthritis?
Everyone feels different when they have OA.
OA usually comes on slowly, over months and years.
The most common symptoms are pain and stiffness in the affected joints.
You might sometimes hear clicking noises from your joints and feel your joint isn’t as flexible as usual.
OA pains can sometimes affect your ability to do your normal daily activities like walking, climbing stairs and opening jars.