You have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis and now you are worried. Will it get worse? Will you lose your mobility? Perhaps you are afraid to move for fear of making things worse. These concerns are understandable, but the reality is often more encouraging than you might think.

Good news: Osteoarthritis does not always cause pain, and having pain does not always mean that osteoarthritis is the cause.¹ Many people with severe osteoarthritis have no pain, and vice versa. What science tells us about osteoarthritis and pain:

• Osteoarthritis visible on imaging is often present without any pain.
• Sudden pain is not usually caused by osteoarthritis, which develops over many years.
• Appropriate physical activity improves the symptoms of osteoarthritis; it does not aggravate it.
• The pain associated with osteoarthritis can be managed very well with the right strategies.

This guide helps you understand the true relationship between osteoarthritis and pain. To learn more about the different forms of osteoarthritis, see our guide on knee osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis did not appear overnight.

Osteoarthritis is a condition that develops over a lifetime. So if you experience sudden pain, it means that your body has been under more strain than usual or that it is currently less resilient (due to stress, fatigue, lack of sleep, etc.). You certainly don't have more osteoarthritis than you did yesterday before the pain started. The cause of the pain is therefore often not osteoarthritis itself.

Osteoarthritis itself will not change. This is the first thing to accept and understand. Osteoarthritis is an irreversible degenerative condition. Osteoarthritis cannot be cured, BUT the pain associated with osteoarthritis can be treated.

In short: Pain ≠ Osteoarthritis

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If we want to get better, We must therefore stop focusing on osteoarthritis and concentrate on the things we can change. Pain is present because there is excessive stress on one or more structures of the body (muscles, tendons, joints, ligaments, nerves, discs). To heal pain, It is therefore necessary to identify the cause of this excessive stress, which is precisely the role of the physical therapist. Once the cause has been identified, the excessive stress must be reduced by several means, such as:

• A good balance of painful tasks, leisure activities, and sports
• Exercises
• Adjustments to postural habits or certain movements
• Manual therapy performed by the physiotherapist

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So, what can we really attribute to osteoarthritis?

• Morning stiffness lasting less than 30 minutes that improves with movement
• Cracking of the joints during movement
• Swelling of the joint after a greater effort than usual

Regardless of the severity of osteoarthritis, We can always address the factors that increase excessive stress to help alleviate or even resolve the symptoms.

From now on, you can be confident that, regardless of your age, the degree of osteoarthritis, or your pain level, it is always possible to do something to improve the condition.

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To learn more... **

You can listen to the podcast "Talk to Me About Health." produced by one of our physical therapists, Alexis Gougeon. Episode #15 discusses osteoarthritis.

Episode 15 of Parle-moi de santé (osteoarthritis)

Click below to listen to episodes on podcast platforms:

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Sources

• Neogi T. The epidemiology and impact of pain in osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis and cartilage. 2013 Sep 1;21(9):1145-53.
• Zhang W, Doherty M, Peat G, Bierma-Zeinstra MA, Arden NK, Bresnihan B, Herrero-Beaumont G, Kirschner S, Leeb BF, Lohmander LS, Mazières B. EULAR evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis. Annals of the rheumatic diseases. 2010 Mar 1;69(3):483-9.
• Décary S, Feldman D, Frémont P, Pelletier JP, Martel‐Pelletier J, Fallaha M, Pelletier B, Belzile S, Sylvestre MP, Vendittoli PA, Desmeules F. Initial derivation of diagnostic clusters combining history elements and physical examination tests for symptomatic knee osteoarthritis. Musculoskeletal care. 2018 Sep;16(3):370-9.
• Salamh P, Cook C, Reiman MP, Sheets C. Treatment effectiveness and fidelity of manual therapy to the knee: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Musculoskeletal care. 2017 Sep;15(3):238-48.

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10 mini-tips to understand your pain

Those who have had the greatest impact on my patients' lives. 1 per day, 2 min.

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