See what causes arthritis and what you can change

Notice what causes arthritis soreness

Soreness often follows more walking, climbing, gripping, or bending than the joint can manage that day. An old injury, weak muscles, or body weight can put extra pressure on one area, while years of use may add strain.

Cartilage may thin over time, and the bone under it can become sore while the joint lining swells. Nearby tendons can ache when they do more work than usual, so several parts may hurt.

This doesn't always mean new damage; if the ache settles after less activity, return more slowly.

Strengthen the muscles that share the work

Stronger muscles can take some work away from a sore joint. Begin with an exercise that does not cause a lasting ache. Add either more time or more effort, then check the joint later; don't raise both together.

Level ground may suit an aching knee or hip better than a downhill walk. A cane or brace may help if it fits well. A wider handle can ease gripping with a sore hand.

These changes won't replace cartilage, but they may make walking, lifting, or household tasks easier.

Get a new kind of soreness checked

Slow stiffness during use often fits osteoarthritis, while long morning stiffness in both hands or feet may have another cause. A suddenly red, hot joint needs prompt care.

A doctor can compare the timing of your soreness with the exam and blood tests. If the cause is clear, you can discuss care for that cause. If one cause seems likely, ask when it will be checked again.

When the cause stays unknown, ask whether another test or another doctor is needed first.

Sources

1. The Lancet Seminar on osteoarthritis states that diagnosis is clinically based despite widespread OVERUSE of imaging, that management should focus on core treatments - self-management and education, exercise, and weight loss where relevant - and that surgery should be reserved for people who have not responded appropriately to less invasive methods.

   Hunter DJ, et al. — Osteoarthritis.. Lancet, 2019. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)30417-9.

2. The Global Burden of Disease Study 2021 estimated 595 million people worldwide had osteoarthritis in 2020 - 7.6% of the global population and a 132.2% increase in total cases since 1990 - and projects increases by 2050 of 74.9% for knee, 78.6% for hip, 48.6% for hand and 95.1% for other osteoarthritis sites.

   Global Burden of Disease 2021 Osteoarthritis Collaborators — Global, regional, and national burden of osteoarthritis, 1990-2020 and projections to 2050: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.. Lancet Rheumatol, 2023. DOI: 10.1016/S2665-9913(23)00163-7.

3. In the Johnston County Osteoarthritis Project (n=3,068), the lifetime risk of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis was 44.7% (95% CI 40.0-49.3%). It rose to 56.8% among people with a history of knee injury, and to roughly two in three among people with obesity.

   Murphy L, et al. — Lifetime risk of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis.. Arthritis Rheum, 2008. DOI: 10.1002/art.24021.

4. In the Framingham Osteoarthritis Study, 710 people over 50 with NO radiographic evidence of knee osteoarthritis underwent knee MRI: 89% had 'any abnormality'. Osteophytes appeared in 74%, cartilage damage in 69% and bone marrow lesions in 52%. Prevalence of at least one abnormality was 90-97% in painful knees and 86-88% in painLESS knees.

   Guermazi A, et al. — Prevalence of abnormalities in knees detected by MRI in adults without knee osteoarthritis: population based observational study (Framingham Osteoarthritis Study).. BMJ, 2012. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.e5339.

5. A systematic review found the proportion of people with knee pain who have radiographic osteoarthritis ranges from 15% to 76%, and the proportion of people with radiographic knee OA who have pain ranges from 15% to 81%. The authors conclude X-ray results should not be used in isolation when assessing an individual patient with knee pain.

   Bedson J, et al. — The discordance between clinical and radiographic knee osteoarthritis: a systematic search and summary of the literature.. BMC Musculoskelet Disord, 2008. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2474-9-116.