Should I use this page, or skip it?
Use this page if you have gradual joint pain and stiffness, especially in a knee, hip, hand or the spine, and want the NHS first steps. Skip it and get same-day help if one joint is suddenly hot, red and too painful to move, especially with fever. That is not typical osteoarthritis. Skip it and use the arthritis hub if you are still trying to work out which type you have.
This page cannot diagnose you. It will not tell you that you need a joint replacement. It will tell you what usually helps, what to stop doing, and when a GP or urgent care is the right door.
If several small joints are swollen with morning stiffness lasting more than 30 minutes, go to rheumatoid arthritis instead.
What is osteoarthritis, in plain English?
Osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis. The smooth cartilage that helps a joint glide becomes less even, and the bone, ligaments and muscles around the joint change with it. The joint can become painful, stiff and less confident. It most often affects knees, hips, the small joints of the hands, and the spine.
It becomes more common with age, but it is not an automatic sentence at a birthday. Previous injury, extra load through a joint, physically demanding work, and family history all raise the chance. “Wear and tear” is a phrase many people hear. It is only half true. The joint is also trying to repair itself, which is why symptoms can flare and settle rather than only getting worse in a straight line.
You can have X-ray changes and few symptoms, or painful symptoms with modest X-ray changes. Treatment follows what you can do, not the scariness of a scan.
What does osteoarthritis feel like day to day?
Pain and stiffness are the core symptoms. Pain is often worse with use or towards the end of the day. Stiffness after sitting or first thing in the morning usually eases as you get moving, often within minutes rather than hours. The joint may feel tender, look a little larger, or make a grating sound.
Symptoms often vary. Damp weather, a long walk, or a week of extra sitting can all change how the joint feels. A flare that lasts a few days is common. A joint that becomes suddenly extremely painful, hot and red, with fever, is a different problem — possible gout or infection — and needs same-day assessment.
Hands can ache around the base of the thumb or the end joints of the fingers, sometimes with bony swellings. Hips can hurt in the groin and make putting on socks harder. Knees can feel unsteady on stairs. None of these patterns proves the diagnosis on their own, but they are the stories GPs hear most often.
Does exercise help, or will I wear the joint out?
Suitable exercise usually helps. Muscles are shock absorbers. Stronger thighs take load off a painful knee. Stronger hip muscles make walking more stable. NICE guidance on osteoarthritis puts therapeutic exercise at the centre of care, not as an optional extra after tablets.
Start at a level you can repeat the next day. Swimming, cycling, walking and supervised strengthening are common. If a session causes a sharp increase in swelling or night pain, reduce the dose rather than stopping for weeks. Prolonged rest makes stiffness and weakness worse.
A physiotherapist can set the plan if you are unsure, have fallen, or have pain in more than one joint. Versus Arthritis and NHS pages also describe simple home exercises. Pain during a movement is a signal to adjust, not proof that movement is forbidden.
Weight loss, if you carry extra weight, reduces force through knees and hips. It is one tool among several, not a reason to withhold pain relief or physiotherapy until a target weight is hit.
What can I take, and what should I avoid?
A pharmacist is a sensible first stop for short-term pain relief. Paracetamol suits more people. Ibuprofen can help when there is inflammatory pain, but it can irritate the stomach and is not safe for everyone. Take the lowest dose that works, for the shortest time, with food, and check the label so you do not double up with a cold remedy.
Do not use ibuprofen for unexplained tummy pain. Do not take more paracetamol than the pack allows. If you have stomach ulcers, some types of asthma, kidney, heart or liver disease, or you are pregnant, ask before using an anti-inflammatory.
Heat can ease stiffness. Ice can ease a swollen flare. Supportive shoes, a stick used on the opposite side to a painful hip or knee, and pacing chores across the day are unglamorous and often more useful than a supplement. No vitamin or collagen powder is a proven cure.
When should I see a GP, and what happens next?
See a GP if pain limits walking, sleep, work or self-care, if pharmacy treatment is not enough, or if you are unsure it is osteoarthritis. Bring a list of joints, what you can no longer do, and your medicines. See our appointment checklist.
A GP may diagnose osteoarthritis from the history and examination. An X-ray is not always needed at the first visit. Blood tests are more useful if inflammatory arthritis is possible.
Get same-day help if a joint is suddenly hot, extremely painful and you feel feverish. Call 999 after major trauma if you cannot stand or feel very unwell.
If first-line care is not enough, the GP can refer you to physiotherapy, a musculoskeletal clinic, or an orthopaedic team to discuss injections or joint replacement. Surgery is a later option for people whose pain and function stay poor, not a prize for waiting.
Who should skip this page?
Skip this page if you need emergency care for a hot joint or an injury. Skip it if your pattern is prolonged morning stiffness in many joints — that is the rheumatoid arthritis pathway. Skip it if a single joint, often the big toe, became extremely painful overnight — see gout.
This page is for adults in the UK. A child with a limp and fever needs urgent paediatric assessment, not osteoarthritis advice.
Common questions about osteoarthritis
- What causes osteoarthritis?
- Joints change with age, previous injury, extra load, and family history. Cartilage becomes less smooth and the bone and tissues around the joint adapt. Calling it simple wear and tear is misleading — it is a repair process that can become painful. Being overweight increases load on knees and hips but is not the only cause.
- What are the symptoms of osteoarthritis?
- Pain and stiffness in a joint, often worse with use or at the end of the day, and stiffness after sitting that eases as you get going. The joint may feel tender, look slightly enlarged, or grate when moved. Symptoms often fluctuate. Sudden extreme pain with fever is not the usual pattern.
- Does exercise help or harm osteoarthritis?
- Suitable exercise generally helps. Strengthening the muscles that support the joint reduces pain over weeks. Swimming, cycling and walking are common starting points. Sharp swelling or night pain after a session means scale back, not stop forever. A physiotherapist can set the dose.
- How is osteoarthritis treated on the NHS?
- First-line care is activity, strengthening, weight management where relevant, pain relief and physiotherapy. Injections or joint replacement are considered when pain and function stay poor despite that package. There is no tablet that reverses osteoarthritis.
- Should I take ibuprofen or paracetamol?
- A pharmacist can advise. Paracetamol suits more people. Ibuprofen can help inflammatory pain but can irritate the stomach and is unsafe for some people with ulcers, certain asthma, kidney, heart or liver problems, or in pregnancy. Use the lowest dose for the shortest time.
- Will I need a knee or hip replacement?
- Most people do not. Surgery is considered when pain limits walking, sleep or independence despite exercise, pain relief and physiotherapy. It is a planned operation after assessment, not an emergency default.
- Is osteoarthritis the same as rheumatoid arthritis?
- No. Osteoarthritis is a joint-change condition, usually worse with use. Rheumatoid arthritis is autoimmune, often with prolonged morning stiffness, swelling in several joints, and fatigue. If that inflammatory pattern fits, see the rheumatoid arthritis page and a GP promptly.