Osteoarthritis is a common joint condition that can cause pain, stiffness, swelling, and reduced movement. It often affects weight-bearing joints such as the knee, hip, feet, and spine. It can also affect the hands and shoulders. If you are comparing broader arthritis conditions, osteoarthritis is the most common type many people recognise.

Osteoarthritis cannot be cured, but good management may reduce pain, improve function, and help you stay active. Physiotherapy can support this by improving joint movement, strength, pacing, balance, and confidence with daily activity.

What Is Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis is a long-term joint condition where cartilage and other joint tissues change over time. Cartilage is the smooth covering on the end of bones. When the joint becomes less tolerant of load, people may notice pain, stiffness, swelling, creaking, or reduced confidence with movement.

Osteoarthritis is not only “wear and tear”. Joint load, previous injury, strength, weight, health factors, genetics, and activity history can all play a role. The aim of treatment is to improve how the joint copes with daily life.

What Are the Common Symptoms of Osteoarthritis?

Osteoarthritis symptoms often build slowly, but they can flare after extra activity. Many people feel worse after long walks, stairs, kneeling, gripping, or standing for too long. Others notice stiffness when they first get moving after rest.

• joint pain or tenderness
• morning or start-up stiffness
• swelling around the joint
• reduced movement or flexibility
• creaking, grinding, or clicking
• difficulty with walking, stairs, gripping, squatting, or standing

What Causes Osteoarthritis?

There is rarely one single cause. Osteoarthritis usually develops from a mix of joint loading history, ageing, previous injury, muscle weakness, movement changes, and individual risk factors. Previous joint surgery, reduced activity, diabetes, excess body weight, and some inflammatory or metabolic conditions may also contribute.

For example, knee osteoarthritis may follow a past ligament or meniscus injury, reduced leg strength, or long-term joint load sensitivity. Hip osteoarthritis may relate to hip shape, previous injury, stiffness, or altered walking tolerance over time.

How Is Osteoarthritis Diagnosed?

A physiotherapist or doctor may suspect osteoarthritis from your symptoms, joint movement, stiffness, strength, walking pattern, and daily activity limits. X-rays can help when imaging is needed. They may show joint-space narrowing, bone changes, or osteophytes.

However, imaging is only one part of the picture. Some people have clear X-ray changes but only mild symptoms. Others have more pain even when imaging changes look less severe. Your function, strength, confidence, and goals matter when planning care.

When Should You Seek Medical Advice?

Most osteoarthritis symptoms can be managed with a clear plan. However, some symptoms need prompt review. Seek medical advice if your joint becomes hot and very swollen, pain worsens quickly, you cannot bear weight, the joint locks repeatedly, or pain keeps waking you at night.

You should also speak with your GP if you have fever, unexplained weight loss, multiple swollen joints, new inflammatory symptoms, or symptoms that do not fit a usual osteoarthritis pattern. These features may need medical review to rule out other conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis.

What Is the Best Treatment for Osteoarthritis?

The best treatment for osteoarthritis usually combines education, exercise, activity pacing, strength work, mobility work, and weight management where relevant. Your plan should match the joint involved, your symptoms, your health, and the activities that matter to you.

Physiotherapy may help by identifying painful movement patterns, improving joint range, restoring muscle support, and building a realistic plan. Depending on your needs, treatment may include hands-on therapy, taping, pacing advice, walking progression, hydrotherapy, or supervised exercise programs.

For hip and knee osteoarthritis, the GLA:D® Australia Program may suit some people who need structured education and exercise support. Some people also benefit from Exercise Physiology when they need longer-term strength, balance, fitness, or chronic disease support.

Can Exercise Help Osteoarthritis?

Yes. Exercise is one of the most useful treatments for osteoarthritis. It may improve pain, joint mobility, muscle strength, walking tolerance, balance, and confidence. It can also help reduce the fear of movement that often follows repeated flare-ups.

A good program often includes low-impact aerobic exercise, strength work, mobility, and functional practice. Common examples include sit-to-stand practice, step-ups, walking progression, cycling, pool exercise, resistance bands, and gym-based strength work. The best starting point depends on your joint, symptoms, and current capacity.

How Does Osteoarthritis Affect Older People?

Osteoarthritis becomes more common with age, but it does not mean you must stop being active. Many older adults function well despite osteoarthritis changes on imaging. The key issue is whether the joint becomes painful, stiff, weak, or less tolerant of daily activity.

Treatment should focus on function as well as pain. Strength, mobility, balance, walking tolerance, and confidence can make a real difference for older adults with knee, hip, hand, foot, or spine-related osteoarthritis.

When Is Joint Replacement Considered?

Joint replacement may be considered when advanced joint changes keep causing severe pain and loss of function despite a solid non-surgical plan. This decision usually involves your GP and an orthopaedic surgeon.

If you are exploring surgery, read more about knee replacement rehabilitation or hip replacement rehabilitation. Physiotherapy can also help before surgery by improving strength, mobility, walking confidence, and recovery readiness.

Related Osteoarthritis and Arthritis Guides

1. Knee Osteoarthritis – symptoms, diagnosis, and management of knee joint arthritis.
2. Hip Arthritis – practical guidance for hip pain, walking, stiffness, and exercise.
3. Arthritis – a broader guide to arthritis types and joint symptoms.
4. Can You Make Arthritis Go Away? – practical guidance on symptom control and long-term management.
5. GLA:D® Australia Program – structured education and exercise support for hip or knee osteoarthritis.
6. Joint Pain Relief – broader treatment ideas for painful and stiff joints.

Osteoarthritis FAQs

Can osteoarthritis be cured?

No. Osteoarthritis cannot currently be cured, but it can often be managed well. Many people improve with exercise, strength work, mobility training, pacing, and clear advice. The aim is to reduce pain, improve function, and help you keep doing the activities that matter to you.

Is walking good for osteoarthritis?

Walking is often helpful for osteoarthritis because it supports joint health, fitness, and daily function. The key is matching the walk to your current tolerance. Shorter, regular walks are often better than pushing through a long flare-up.

Should I rest or exercise with osteoarthritis?

Complete rest is usually not the best long-term answer. Relative rest during a flare can help, but ongoing exercise is important for joint function, muscle strength, and confidence. Choose the right type and amount of exercise rather than avoiding movement.

Why does osteoarthritis feel worse in the morning?

Morning stiffness is common because joints can feel less mobile after rest. It is often most noticeable when you first get up or start moving again. In many cases, stiffness eases as the joint warms up.

Can young people get osteoarthritis?

Yes. Younger adults can develop osteoarthritis, especially after joint injury, surgery, repeated high joint loads, or structural joint problems. Early management can help protect function and reduce the impact of symptoms over time.

Do X-rays always match osteoarthritis pain?

No. X-rays do not always match pain levels. Some people have obvious osteoarthritis changes on imaging but mild symptoms. Others have more pain with less dramatic imaging findings. Assessment should also consider movement, strength, swelling, confidence, and function.

When should I see a physiotherapist for osteoarthritis?

Consider seeing a physiotherapist if joint pain, stiffness, or swelling is limiting walking, sleep, exercise, work, or daily tasks. Early guidance may help you manage symptoms, improve strength, and avoid the cycle of pain, rest, weakness, and worsening function.

What to Do Next

If osteoarthritis is affecting your joint, book an assessment so your symptoms, movement, strength, and goals can be checked properly. A useful plan should explain what is driving your symptoms and how to improve your joint tolerance over time.

A physiotherapist can help you identify aggravating factors, improve joint support, and build a plan that suits your lifestyle, work, and exercise goals.

References

1. Bannuru RR, Osani MC, Vaysbrot EE, et al. OARSI guidelines for the non-surgical management of knee, hip, and polyarticular osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2019;27(11):1578-1589. doi:10.1016/j.joca.2019.06.011
2. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Osteoarthritis in over 16s: diagnosis and management. NICE Guideline NG226. 2022.
3. Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. Osteoarthritis of the Knee Clinical Care Standard. Updated 2024.
4. The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. Guideline for the management of knee and hip osteoarthritis. 2nd ed. RACGP; 2018.