The following symptoms and complaints may indicate gonarthrosis (knee osteoarthritis):
Leading symptoms
- Start-up pain or run-in pain [typical of gonarthrosis is: no discomfort at rest].
- Increasing knee joint pain (gonalgia).
Associated symptoms
- Pain on exertion
- Continuous pain (constant and night pain)
- Effusion formation*
- Increased sensitivity to wetness and/or cold of the joints.
- Joint swelling*
- Joint stiffness
- Crepitance in the joint (joint noise) – subjectively perceived crepitus significantly predicts later development of symptomatic osteoarthritis of the knee (SOA); the association was strongest in older men (≥ 65 years)
- Muscle tension due to gentle posture
- Feeling of tension in the joints
- Movement restriction
- In the late stage – deformations, muscle shortening.
* If there are signs of inflammation (effusion, swelling, hyperthermia), it is called “activated” osteoarthritis“.
Attention. Only about 15 percent of patients with radiologically confirmed osteoarthritis complain of gonalgia (knee pain).
