The main symptom of osteoarthritis is pain. You may feel pain during movement and even at rest. Your joints may also be stiff and swollen, and you may even experience a loss of range of movement in the joint. The symptoms of osteoarthritis may interfere with your normal activities, such as walking and dressing, and they may also disrupt your sleep.

Osteoarthritis can affect any joint. It commonly occurs in the knees, hips, and spine. This condition also commonly affects the finger joints, the joint at the bottom of the thumb, and the joint at the bottom of the big toe. In rare cases, Osteoarthritis affects the wrists, elbows, shoulders, ankles, or jaw, except in cases of injury or unusual stress to the joint.

Osteoarthritis ranges from a mild (Stage 1) to severe (Stage 4) disease that can greatly limit your everyday activity. For example, if you have osteoarthritis of the knee, you may feel tenderness in the knee area and pain during movement of the knee. You may also feel a "grating" or "catching" sensation in the joint during movement. The large muscles around your knee will become weaker with time if pain prevents you from moving or exercising the leg.