Which statement best describes osteoarthritis pain?

Which statement best describes osteoarthritis pain?

• A. Pain in weight-bearing joints and hands with intermittent stiffness
• B. Pain in the chest with exertion
• C. Fever and swelling
• D. Nerve pain in the limbs

Answer: (A)

Pain from osteoarthritis is mechanical in nature: it tends to worsen with joint use and improve with rest, and it commonly involves weight-bearing joints such as the knees, hips, or spine, as well as some joints in the hands. Morning stiffness is typically brief and intermittent rather than prolonged. This pattern—pain in weight-bearing joints and hands with intermittent stiffness—best fits osteoarthritis. Other descriptions point to different problems. Chest pain with exertion suggests a heart-related issue; fever and swelling point toward inflammatory or infectious arthritis; nerve pain in the limbs indicates neuropathic or radicular problems.

Pain from osteoarthritis is mechanical in nature: it tends to worsen with joint use and improve with rest, and it commonly involves weight-bearing joints such as the knees, hips, or spine, as well as some joints in the hands. Morning stiffness is typically brief and intermittent rather than prolonged. This pattern—pain in weight-bearing joints and hands with intermittent stiffness—best fits osteoarthritis.

Other descriptions point to different problems. Chest pain with exertion suggests a heart-related issue; fever and swelling point toward inflammatory or infectious arthritis; nerve pain in the limbs indicates neuropathic or radicular problems.