Degenerative joint disease refers to several conditions that affect your joints, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, avascular necrosis, and hip dysplasia. Degenerative joint disease can affect any joint, but it commonly occurs in your knees, hips, hands, neck, or spine. The most common type of degenerative joint disease is osteoarthritis.
UPMC experts provide comprehensive degenerative joint disease care, including surgical and nonsurgical treatment. Our team will develop a treatment plan that reduces your symptoms, restores your mobility, and improves your quality of life.
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What Is Degenerative Joint Disease?
Degenerative joint disease refers to several conditions that affect joints, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, post-traumatic arthritis, avascular necrosis, and hip dysplasia. Osteoarthritis is the most common type of degenerative joint disease.
What are the types of degenerative joint disease?
There are several types of degenerative joint disease, including:
- Avascular necrosis — Occurs when the “ball” in your hip joint called your femoral head loses blood flow, causing the bone to die.
- Hip dysplasia — Occurs when the bones around the hip are not properly formed, causing hip joint misalignment.
- Osteoarthritis — The most common type of degenerative joint disease, osteoarthritis occurs due to wear and tear that causes your cartilage to break down over time.
- Post-traumatic arthritis — Occurs after a fracture, dislocation, or other injury.
- Rheumatoid arthritis — Occurs when an autoimmune disorder causes inflammation and damage to your joints.
What causes degenerative joint disease?
Degenerative joint disease is caused by damage to your joint or cartilage that happens over time.
Depending on the type of degenerative joint disease you have, it could be caused by:
- Autoimmune disorders.
- Joint malformation that is present at birth.
- Loss of blood flow to your joint.
- Previous injury to your joint.
- Wear and tear that leads to cartilage damage.
What are degenerative joint disease risk factors and complications?
Degenerative joint disease risk factors
You may be at higher risk for degenerative joint disease if you:
- Are female.
- Are over age 50 and have gone through menopause.
- Are overweight or obese.
- Have a family history of degenerative joint disease or arthritis.
- Have a job that requires repetitive joint motion, such as kneeling, climbing, pushing, pulling, reaching, or lifting.
- Have a personal history of joint injury.
- Have an autoimmune disease.
- Participate in sports that involve repetitive motions, such as golf, baseball, tennis, running, or cycling.
Complications of degenerative joint disease
In most cases, degenerative joint disease does not cause serious complications.
However, severe symptoms that are left untreated could result in:
- Anxiety and depression.
- Loss of mobility.
- Permanent joint damage.
- Severe pain or swelling.
- Sleep problems due to pain or discomfort.
- Weight gain due to pain or decreased mobility.
How can I prevent degenerative joint disease?
Not all types of degenerative joint disease can be prevented. However, you may reduce your risk by taking good care of your joints.
Your doctor may recommend:
- Avoiding joint strain during exercise — Be sure to warm up slowly and increase your routine's intensity over time.
- Maintaining a healthy body weight — Losing weight can reduce pressure on your joints.
- Stretching — Stretching can help reduce the risk of injury and promote proper joint mechanics.
- Using proper body mechanics — Learning how to lift, reach, push, and pull safely may reduce your risk of joint problems, especially if you have a job or hobby that requires repetitive motion.
How common is degenerative joint disease?
Degenerative joint disease is very common, especially in people over the age of 55. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, osteoarthritis, the most common type of degenerative joint disease, affects nearly 32.5 million people in the U.S.
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What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Degenerative Joint Disease?
Degenerative joint disease may cause joint symptoms including:
- A feeling of looseness or instability.
- Pain with movement.
- Reduced range of motion.
- Stiffness.
- Swelling.
When should I see a doctor about my degenerative joint disease symptoms?
You should see a doctor about your degenerative joint disease symptoms if:
- You have pain that gets worse after activity.
- You have stiffness, swelling, and reduced range of motion that prevents you from doing everyday activities.
- Your pain doesn’t get better after a few days.
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How Do You Diagnose Degenerative Joint Disease?
Your doctor will perform a physical exam and may order imaging tests to diagnose degenerative joint disease.
What to expect during your visit
During your visit, your doctor will:
- Ask about any medications you’re taking.
- Ask about recent symptoms, activities, or injuries.
- Order imaging tests.
- Perform a physical exam.
- Review your health history.
Tests to diagnose degenerative joint disease
Tests to diagnose degenerative joint disease include:
- CT scan — CT scan is a test that creates images of your bones, nerves, and tissues.
- MRI scans — MRI is a diagnostic procedure that combines large magnets, radio frequencies, and a computer to produce detailed images of organs and structures within your body.
- X-ray — X-ray is a diagnostic test that uses invisible electromagnetic energy beams to produce images of internal tissues, bones, and organs onto film.
Degenerative joint disease prognosis
Degenerative joint disease is a condition that can often be managed with nonsurgical treatment. However, you may need surgery if your condition causes joint damage — especially if your symptoms are severe. After treatment, most people with degenerative joint disease experience improved symptoms and can continue doing the activities they enjoy.
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How Do You Treat Degenerative Joint Disease?
The goals of degenerative joint disease treatment are to reduce symptoms, restore mobility, and improve quality of life. Your doctor will recommend a treatment plan based on the cause of your condition and the severity of your symptoms.
Treatment options may include:
At-home care
If you have degenerative joint disease that is causing mild symptoms, your doctor may recommend at-home care, including:
- Heat and/or ice.
- Over-the-counter medications to manage pain.
- Physical therapy.
- Rest.
Lifestyle changes
Your doctor may recommend lifestyle changes, such as:
- Limiting activities that cause stress on your joints.
- Learning proper body mechanics for reaching, lifting, pushing, and pulling.
- Strengthening exercises.
- Stretching to relieve muscle tension.
Steroid shots for degenerative joint disease
If your degenerative joint disease symptoms are severe and have not responded to other treatments, your doctor may recommend shots to inject an anti-inflammatory steroid medication into the affected part of your joint.
Surgery for degenerative joint disease
In some cases, degenerative joint disease may require surgical treatment. Your doctor will recommend a surgical procedure and treatment approach that will relieve symptoms, improve your quality of life, and help you return to the activities you enjoy.
Common surgical treatments include:
Arthroscopy
Arthroscopy is a minimally invasive surgery that is used to treat a range of joint conditions. During arthroscopy, your surgeon will look inside your joint with a special camera and repair problems using small surgical instruments.
Joint reconstruction or replacement
Joint reconstruction is a surgical procedure to repair joint damage. Joint replacement involves removing your damaged joint and replacing it with an artificial joint.
Why choose UPMC for degenerative joint disease care?
When you choose UPMC for your degenerative joint disease care, you will receive:
- Access to world-class orthopaedic expertise — Our world-renowned experts treat the full spectrum of joint disorders using the latest surgical and nonsurgical techniques.
- Advanced diagnostic care — We’ll find the cause of your joint pain and work with you to develop a comprehensive treatment plan.
- A full range of treatment options — We offer nonsurgical care, as well as minimally invasive and traditional surgical approaches, depending on your individual care needs.
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By UPMC Editorial Staff. Last reviewed on 2025-02-10.
