There are several causes of osteoarthritis such as genetics, improper nutrition and deficiency of the nutrients required by the joints and bones or infection along with damages to the joints etc. Because of all these causes of osteoarthritis, everybody is prone to it. However detecting it in the very early stages is very important if any further complications are to be prevented.

The symptoms of osteoarthritis are the ones, which can help to detect it in the very early stages. The starting symptoms of osteoarthritis would include pain in the joints. The osteoarthritis pain usually does not go away within one of two days. The pain generally becomes goes on increasing and eventually it leads to stiffness in the joints. In such a situation, any movement with that joint is painful. Therefore, if such a pain occurs in a person then there are chances that he must have got affected by one of the causes of osteoarthritis.

Actually, the pain is in the form of a severe ache in the joints. Moreover, the pain also occurs in the surrounding tissues as the muscles and tendons. The muscles may get a spasm. The tendons may experience contraction.

Moreover, if such a situation prevails for sometime a crackling noise also occurs in the joints. Such a crackling noise is called as “crepitus” and it occurs whenever the patient tries to move or touch his joints. In some cases, the joints are filled with a fluid, which increases the level of moisture in joints. This excess moisture causes a further increase in the pain. For example, the accumulation of fluid in the knees is very common.

In some severe cases, the enlargements develop in the bones. These enlargements are called Herberden’s nodes or Bouchard’s nodes. These occur in the smaller joints as those in the fingers, etc. they are not actually painful. Moreover, they do not cause any significant effect on the movement of the fingers. Osteoarthritis in the toes leads to development of bunions. These can be painful and generally make the toes red and swollen.

It does not matter which of the causes of osteoarthritis is responsible for the development of the disease in the patient, he is prone to all of these symptoms. The causes of osteoarthritis are not possible to control however; these symptoms are the indications of osteoarthritis. Therefore, they will help the patient to get osteoarthritis diagnosed in the early stages and therefore prevent further complications.