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ConditionsOsteoarthritis
What is osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis is the gradual change in a joint's cartilage and surrounding structures that causes pain, stiffness and reduced movement.
It becomes more common with age but isn't exclusive to older adults, and it doesn't mean the joint is beyond help — there's usually a lot that can still be done for it, at any age, well before surgery is the right conversation to have.
Pain that's worse with activity or load
Stiffness after rest or first thing in the morning that eases as you move
Gradually reduced range of motion, with pain at the end of that range
Swelling in some joints
A sense of grinding or catching (crepitus)
Symptoms that tend to build gradually over time rather than appear suddenly
What osteoarthritis feels like
Why it happens
Cumulative wear across a joint over time, often influenced by a previous injury to that joint, biomechanical factors, genetic predisposition, and the joint's loading history — not simply a direct consequence of being active. Staying active, staying strong, and staying on top of your metabolic risk factors are the cornerstones of managing osteoarthritis well — not something that causes or worsens it.
Who's more likely to get it
Age
A previous injury to the affected joint
Family history
Joint alignment and biomechanics
Occupational or sport-related joint loading over time
Body weight — which affects load through weight-bearing joints specifically, but also has a separate metabolic effect on joint health
What happens at your appointment
A history of the pain pattern and how it's affecting daily activity and function, alongside a joint examination for range of motion, crepitus and alignment, and a practical look at how it's actually impacting what you want and need to do.
Do you need imaging?
Plain X-ray is usually the first-line and most useful imaging for confirming osteoarthritis and understanding its extent. MRI is reserved for specific circumstances rather than used routinely. We read the images ourselves and draw on the radiology report too.
How osteoarthritis is managed
Active management is the first-line treatment — exercise and load management, not rest, alongside addressing biomechanical factors and weight where relevant, and considered use of injection-based treatments where they're genuinely appropriate. For the knee specifically, established programs like GLAD (Good Life with osteoArthritis: Denmark) are evidence-based and broadly successful, and can be a useful part of the plan. Referral for a surgical opinion happens when active, non-surgical management has genuinely been tried and surgery is the right next step — not as a default once a diagnosis is confirmed.
Why see a Sport & Exercise Physician
An orthopaedic surgeon is an excellent diagnostician too, and the specialist you need when surgery is genuinely the right path. A Sport & Exercise Physician manages the many people with osteoarthritis who don't yet — or may never — need surgery, building an active management plan around exercise, load and, where appropriate, injections, and refers on clearly when surgery is genuinely the answer. This is one of Dr Chamberlain's particular clinical interests.
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FAQA few quick answers
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Not necessarily — many people manage osteoarthritis well long-term with active, non-surgical treatment. Surgery is considered when non-surgical management has genuinely been tried and it's the right next step, not as an automatic outcome of the diagnosis.
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No — appropriate exercise and load management is the first-line treatment for osteoarthritis, not something to avoid. The right type and amount of activity is part of the assessment and plan.
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They can be, for the right person and joint — it's a considered, evidence-based decision made as part of your overall plan, not a first or automatic step.
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Related conditionsWhere this connects
01Persistent Knee Pain
READ MORE →02Persistent Joint or Tendon Pain
READ MORE →03Tendinopathy
READ MORE →04Adhesive Capsulitis (Frozen Shoulder)
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