National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Osteoarthritis is the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine 
National Institutes of Health
Osteoarthritis
Also called: Degenerative joint disease, OA, Osteoarthrosis
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. It causes pain, swelling and reduced motion in your joints. It can occur in any joint, but usually it affects your hands, knees, hips or spine.
Osteoarthritis breaks down the cartilage in your joints. Cartilage is the slippery tissue that covers the ends of bones in a joint. Healthy cartilage absorbs the shock of movement. When you lose cartilage, your bones rub together. Over time, this rubbing can permanently damage the joint. Factors that may cause osteoarthritis include
- Being overweight
- Getting older
- Injuring a joint
Therapies that manage osteoarthritis pain and improve function include exercise, weight control, rest, pain relief, alternative therapies and surgery.
NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
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Start Here
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Osteoarthritis
(Patient Education Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
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What Is Osteoarthritis?
(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
- PDF
- Also available in Spanish
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Osteoarthritis
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Basics
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Learn More
, and
Multimedia & Cool Tools
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For group Basics
For group Learn More
For group Multimedia & Cool Tools
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
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Reference Shelf
, and
For You
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For group Research
For group Reference Shelf
For group For You
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Overviews
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Handout on Health: Osteoarthritis(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
- Osteoarthritis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Osteoarthritis and You(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Handout on Health: Osteoarthritis
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Diagnosis/Symptoms
- Bone X-Ray (Radiography)(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)
- Also available in Spanish
- MRI of the Musculoskeletal System(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)
- Also available in Spanish
- Osteoarthritis(American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
- Osteoarthritis: Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor(Harvard Medical School)
- Synovial Fluid Analysis(American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
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Treatment
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Joint Replacement Surgery(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
- Managing Osteoarthritis Pain with Medicines: A Review of the Research for Adults(Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
- Also available in Spanish
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MedlinePlus: Hip Replacement(National Library of Medicine)
- Also available in Spanish
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MedlinePlus: Knee Replacement(National Library of Medicine)
- Also available in Spanish
- NSAIDs(Consumers Union of U.S.)
- Also available in Spanish
- Osteotomy of the Knee(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
- Shoulder Joint Replacement(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
- Shoulder Osteoarthritis Treatment (Beyond the Basics)(UpToDate)
- Tibial osteotomy - slideshow
- Also available in Spanish
- Treating Osteoarthritis of the Knee(American Academy of Family Physicians)
- Also available in Spanish
- Treating Osteoarthritis of the Shoulder(American Academy of Family Physicians)
- Also available in Spanish
- Types of Surgery(Arthritis Foundation)
- Viscosupplementation Treatment for Arthritis(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
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Joint Replacement Surgery
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Prevention/Screening
- 10 Ways You Can Protect Your Joints(Arthritis Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
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Alternative Therapy
- Common Therapies to Consider(Arthritis Foundation)
- Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
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Rehabilitation/Recovery
- Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Doctors Relieve Arthritis Pain(American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)
- Relieving Arthritis(American Occupational Therapy Association)
- Return to top
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Disease Management
- Active Approach to Osteoarthritis: Moving Beyond the Pain(American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)
- Bracing: One Treatment Option for Arthritis(Arthritis Foundation)
- Exercise and Arthritis(Arthritis Foundation)
- How to Care for Yourself(Arthritis Foundation)
- Knee Braces for Osteoarthritis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Return to top
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Specific Conditions
- Arthritis of the Base of the Thumb(American Society for Surgery of the Hand) - PDF
- Arthritis of the Knee(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
- Also available in Spanish
- Arthritis of the Wrist(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
- Degenerative Changes in the Spine: Is This Arthritis?(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Get Square with Your Feet(Arthritis Foundation)
- Osteoarthritis of the Elbow(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
- Osteoarthritis of the Foot and Ankle(American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons)
- Also available in Spanish
- Osteoarthritis of the Hand(American Society for Surgery of the Hand)
- Osteoarthritis of the Hip(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
- Also available in Spanish
- Osteoarthritis of the Knee: A Guide for Adults(Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
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Related Issues
- Bone Spurs(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
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Paget's Disease of Bone and Osteoarthritis: Different Yet Related(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
- Return to top
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Health Check Tools
- Joint Health Quiz(Arthritis Foundation)
- Osteoarthritis Risk Assessment Tool(Arthritis Foundation)
- Return to top
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Tutorials
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Osteoarthritis
(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
- Osteoarthritis(Patient Education Institute)
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
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Osteoarthritis
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Videos
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How Exercise Can Help(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
- Osteoarthritis - Encyclopedia
- Also available in Spanish
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Using Assistive Devices(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
- Return to top
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How Exercise Can Help
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Financial Issues
- Financial Planning(Arthritis Foundation)
- Return to top
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Osteoarthritis(National Institutes of Health)
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Questions & Answers - NIH Glucosamine/Chondroitin Arthritis Intervention Trial (GAIT)(National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine)
- Return to top
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Osteoarthritis
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Genetics
- Heredity and Arthritis(American College of Rheumatology)
- Return to top
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Research
- Acute Liver Injury Due to Flavocoxid (Limbrel), a Medical Food for Osteoarthritis(American College of Physicians) - PDF
- Benefits of Exercise: What's the Evidence?(Arthritis Foundation)
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Bone Drug Holds Promise as Therapy for People with OA(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
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Osteoarthritis(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
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Post-Injury Response Could Be Key Step in Osteoarthritis Development(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
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Study Determines Optimal Dose of Massage for Osteoarthritis of the Knee Pain Research(National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine)
- Trends in Knee Pain and Knee Osteoarthritis(American College of Physicians) - PDF
- Viscosupplementation for Knee Osteoarthritis(American College of Physicians) - PDF
- Return to top
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Dictionaries/Glossaries
- A-Team: A Glossary of Health Professionals(Arthritis Foundation)
- Return to top
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Directories
- ACR: Geographic Membership Directory(American College of Rheumatology)
- Arthritis Foundation: Local Office Directory(Arthritis Foundation)
- Return to top
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Organizations
- American College of Rheumatology
- Arthritis Foundation
- Also available in Spanish
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National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
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Statistics
- FastStats: Arthritis(National Center for Health Statistics)
- Osteoarthritis Fact Sheet(Arthritis Foundation) - PDF
- Return to top
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MedlinePlus Magazine
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Patient Handouts
- Bone x-ray
- Also available in Spanish
- Lumbosacral spine CT
- Also available in Spanish
- Osteoarthritis
- Also available in Spanish
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What Is Osteoarthritis?(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
- PDF
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
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You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
Languages
- Chinese - Traditional (繁體中文)
- Spanish (español)
Osteoarthritis - Multiple Languages
