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Osteoarthritis related information | Osteoarthritis Understanding osteoarthritis symptoms and arthiritis pain Learn about osteoarthritis treatments How to avoid osteoarthritis with exercise Last Updated: 11/17/2004 Related Healthscout Videos New Knee = A Leg Up for Patients Eating Away Arthritis Symptoms Seven Foot Surgeon Helps the Needy Kicking Recovery Time! New Knee Procedure More... Osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis (OA), or degenerative joint disease most commonly affects patients who are middle-aged and older. OA can range from very mild to severe. It affects the hands and weight-bearing joints such as the knees, hips, feet and the back. Joints are structures that hold two or more bones together. In a healthy joint the bone ends are lined with articular cartilage that acts as a cushion to absorb the shock of movement. Osteoarthritis is characterized by the breakdown of the joint's cartilage. Cartilage breakdown causes bones to rub against each other, causing pain, swelling, and stiffness of the joints and loss of movement. In Osteoarthritis there is a slow but irreversible erosion of the cartilage. In the early stages, the cartilage begins to soften and break loose. This restricts the movement of the joint causing pain. The loss is compensated by the growth of bone spurs. In time, the unprotected ends of bones may grind together, resulting in further restriction & pain.