How is Osteoarthritis Detected?

Posted on: May 8, 2025 | 3 mins | Written by: HDFC ERGO Team

How is Osteoarthritis Detected?

Osteoarthritis is a bone-degenerative ailment common in older adults. The bones in the body have protective cartilage around their ends to provide a cushion effect. As you age, this cartilage gets damaged due to wear and tear, leading to pain and discomfort in the joints. Osteoarthritis is commonly experienced in the hand, knee, hip, and spine joints.

While cartilage damage cannot be reversed, osteoarthritis can be managed well if the symptoms are observed on time and the diagnosis is made early.

How is Osteoarthritis Detected

As soon as you observe symptoms of osteoarthritis, you should seek medical help to confirm the condition and start treatment accordingly. Older people usually experience symptoms like joint pain, stiffness and tenderness, lack of mobility, swelling, grating sensation and bone spurs.

But how is osteoarthritis detected by doctors? They follow these procedures:

Imaging Tests

• X-rays –

This is the most common test that doctors use to detect osteoarthritis. Doctors check for the absence of joint cartilage, small spaces in your joint bones, and bone spurs on these images to confirm their diagnosis.

• Magnetic Resource Imaging (MRI) –

It is used for complex or advanced cases of osteoarthritis. Through these images, doctors can see the bones, tissues and cartilage in great detail, helping them diagnose accurately.

Laboratory Tests

• Blood tests –

Doctors may ask you to undergo blood tests to rule out other conditions, and make the scope of diagnosis as narrow as possible. Osteoarthritis, per se, cannot be detected with the help of blood tests.

• Arthrocentesis –

Also known as the joint fluid analysis, this process involves inserting a needle into your affected joint and testing the fluid there. This is mainly done to find if the fluid contains infections, gout, etc. This test rules out other forms of arthritis like inflammatory arthritis, thereby helping to find out the exact cause of the joint pain.

• Arthroscopy –

Doctors insert a viewing tube into the joints to get a closer look at the damage to the cartilage. This helps them decide the future course of treatment.

Conclusion

Osteoarthritis can be treated quickly and managed well if the condition is diagnosed on time. Doctors ask you to undergo the processes mentioned to rule out other ailments and get a clear idea of the extent of cartilage damage. On the basis of that, they decide on the right course of treatment for the condition.

Make sure you have a health insurance policy or critical illness insurance to cover medical and surgical costs.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purposes only. For more details, please refer to the policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

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