Osteoarthritis

Musculoskeletal · ~8% of blueprint

Pathophysiology: Mechanical “wear-and-tear” cartilage degradation → joint-space narrowing and osteophytes.
Signs & Symptoms: Activity-related joint pain that improves with rest, brief morning stiffness (<30 min), Heberden/Bouchard nodes.
Gold Standard Diagnosis: Clinical + X-ray (joint-space narrowing, osteophytes, subchondral sclerosis); normal inflammatory markers.
First-line Treatment: Exercise/weight loss, topical/oral NSAIDs & acetaminophen; intra-articular steroids; joint replacement.

High-Yield Pearl

OA: brief stiffness (<30 min), worse with use. RA: prolonged stiffness, better with use.

More Musculoskeletal conditions