About 27 million Americans are currently living with osteoarthritis

And experts say it’s little wonder that it’s the most common type of arthritis.

That’s because age and obesity are two major risk factors, and since the baby boomer generation is getting older and many of them are overweight the number of people with osteoarthritis is predicted to exceed 60 million by 2020.

Osteoarthritis symptoms usually occur in the joints of the neck and back, hips, knees, and fingers. Osteoarthritis is a term doctors use to describe two joint problems that may or may not go together.

The most common is bony thickening around the rim of joints, which occurs after the damage has occurred, or just with time. The second problem is a wearing out of the cartilage surface and soft cushion between bones and the joint. This is the main reason for hip or knee replacement.”

Osteoarthritis Symptoms

Common osteoarthritis symptoms you should watch out for include pain, stiffness, reduced movement, swelling, and a clicking or grating noises when moving the joint. Here’s how these symptoms might be recognized:

Pain

“Osteoarthritis pain tends to worsen as the day goes on, rather than loosen up,” notes Dr. Edwards.

Osteoarthritis pain gets worse with activity and is relieved by rest. Examples include hip pain when going upstairs, knee pain when walking, and finger pain after cooking or sewing or doing another handwork.

Stiffness and Decreased Motion

Osteoarthritis typically has symptoms of stiffness and difficulty moving the joint, it usually is worse when waking up in the morning, especially if the joint was exercised the day before. The stiffness will usually clear up in a few minutes. Knee joints may lock up or suddenly buckle.

Swelling and Clicking

The bony spurs that occur in osteoarthritis can cause the joints to increase in size. This is most noticeable in the hands, where finger joints become enlarged and can make the fingers look bony and crooked. A clicking or grating noise may be heard when moving the joint.

Doctors call this osteoarthritis symptom “crepitus.”