What do the first symptoms of osteoarthritis feel like? with Dr Lauren King
Feb 18, 2024
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Dr. Lauren King, a rheumatologist, discusses the challenges of recognizing early osteoarthritis symptoms and the importance of timely intervention. She highlights the diverse initial symptoms, the need for clear diagnosis criteria, and the role of preventive care in managing OA. The podcast also emphasizes research efforts, collaborative approaches, and patient involvement in treatment initiatives.
Early symptoms of osteoarthritis vary and may include joint pain, stiffness, swelling, and cracking noises in affected joints.
Detecting early osteoarthritis poses challenges due to gradual symptom onset and diverse initial signs experienced by individuals.
Deep dives
Key Points on Osteoarthritis Symptoms
Early symptoms of osteoarthritis, such as joint pain, stiffness, and swelling, vary and may include cracking or grinding noises in the affected joints. The disease progresses slowly and can present challenges in early diagnosis due to its diverse nature and varied symptoms. Understanding the initial signs of osteoarthritis is crucial for timely intervention and treatment. Research aims to classify and identify early symptomatic knee osteoarthritis to improve patient outcomes.
Motivation for Early Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis Research
The initiative focuses on identifying early stage symptomatic knee osteoarthritis to potentially introduce treatments earlier in the disease process. Challenges include identifying individuals with early osteoarthritis due to gradual symptom onset and delayed care-seeking behavior. The study explores diverse early symptoms experienced by individuals, highlighting the need for improved criteria to detect early osteoarthritis cases.
Theme 1: Insidious Onset and Episodic Nature of Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis often begins gradually, with symptoms like pain or stiffness developing slowly and episodically. People may overlook initial symptoms as harmless incidents until patterns emerge over time. Understanding the insidious nature of osteoarthritis onset is essential in recognizing early signs and seeking appropriate care.
Theme 2: Diverse Early Symptoms of Osteoarthritis
Patients with osteoarthritis may experience a variety of early symptoms, including pain, stiffness, swelling, and weakness in the affected joints. These symptoms can manifest differently from person to person, making early diagnosis challenging. Recognizing the diversity in early osteoarthritis symptoms is critical for accurate detection and treatment planning.
On this week's episode of Joint Action, we are joined by Dr Lauren King. Lauren is a rheumatologist and clinician scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital and Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Toronto. Her clinical research program combines epidemiology and implementation science, with the goal of identifying gaps in care and developing evidence-informed solutions to improve care and outcomes for people living rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases, with a particular focus on osteoarthritis.
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