Patient's question:
I only recently discovered that my finger joints are much larger than those of a normal person. Because I have been working odd jobs in a foreign place, I haven't paid much attention. Recently, I sometimes feel that my finger joints and ankles are swollen, accompanied by pain, and at times they are also stiff. After checking at the hospital, I learned that it is osteoarthritis. I have taken medicine for a few days, and it has slightly improved. I wonder if it will affect my future life.What kind of help is needed: What are the hazards of osteoarthritis?
Doctor's answer:
Degenerative joint cartilage, with new bone formation under and around the cartilage, leading to pain relief during weight-bearing, joint cartilage wear and loss, bone hyperplasia causing joint deformity, and friction sounds in the joint during movement are the main manifestations of the disease. The primary symptom is joint pain, which recurs during movement and disappears or improves after rest. During acute recurrence, the pain intensifies continuously, accompanied by joint swelling, stiffness, and joint friction sounds. Severe spinal fibrosis can compress the spinal cord and nerve roots, leading to recurrent sensory, motor, and urinary/defecatory dysfunction, neurological signs, and even complete paralysis.