Clinical diagnosis of osteoarthritis (OA)

Clinical diagnosis of OA:

• diagnose osteoarthritis clinically without investigations if a person:
  • is 45 or over and
  • has activity-related joint pain and
  • has either no morning joint-related stiffness or morning stiffness that lasts no longer than 30 minutes

Notes:

• be aware that atypical features, such as a history of trauma, prolonged morning joint-related stiffness, rapid worsening of symptoms or the presence of a hot swollen joint, may indicate alternative or additional diagnoses. Important differential diagnoses include gout, other inflammatory arthritides (for example, rheumatoid arthritis), septic arthritis and malignancy (bone pain).

Reference:

1. NICE. Osteoarthritis in over 16s: diagnosis and management. NICE guideline NG226. Published October 2022.