The main symptoms of osteoarthritis include pain and stiffness in your joints. You may have difficulty moving the affected joints or doing certain activities.

However, in some cases of osteoarthritis, you may not have any symptoms at all, as the pain can come in episodes. Often, you will only experience symptoms in one joint or a few joints at any one time. Your symptoms may also develop slowly.

Other symptoms you or your doctor may notice include:

• joint tenderness
• increased pain and stiffness when you have not moved your joints for a while
• joints appearing slightly larger or more 'knobbly' than usual
• a grating or crackling sound or sensation in your joints
• limited range of movement in your joints
• weakness and muscle wasting (loss of muscle bulk)