Symptoms

In many cases, arthrosis could be diagnosed by X-ray without the patient having any previous complaints. The typical symptoms of arthrosis are joint pain, which initially occurs under stress and after unusual activities. Patients often find it difficult to describe the pain, and the joint is often perceived as stiff.

Swelling in the area of the joint can also occur and further restrict mobility. In the course of the disease, the pain under load turns into pain when moving. Particularly when moving after long periods of rest, the pain is felt most strongly at first (initial pain), but subsides after a few steps until it reoccurs after a longer period of stress (fatigue pain).

If the pain persists in the joint even at rest, the arthrosis has reached a late stage. This often leads to poor posture, the muscles are restricted in their function and the joint capsule shrinks. The permanent pain deliberately prevents movement, which stiffens the joints (contracture).

Rarely can the arthrosis symptoms be perceived acoustically as crepitation (rubbing noise). This occurs when the joint is so severely destroyed that the joint surfaces can no longer be moved smoothly past each other. In the case of gonarthrosis, the symptoms can be used to assess the spread of the arthrosis.

Pain during passive movements, i.e. without muscular effort, indicates changes that are restricted to the joint. In contrast, arthrosis in pain during active movements is no longer limited to the joint, but has also affected muscles and tendons by restricting movement. The knee joint can normally be bent by 180 degrees and stretched by 10-20 degrees.

In the case of gonarthrosis, these movements are restricted. In the early stages, the ability to bend decreases first and only then the extension. Especially when descending stairs or walking downhill, the intensity of pain increases.Gonarthrosis progresses faster than arthrosis in other joints because the reduced strain on the leg muscles means that the remaining cartilage is also less supplied with nutrients.