Your doctor will diagnose you but you can help understand your pain better by filling out the self-assessment questions below.

After you have filled out the self-assessment, you will have the possibility to save the assessment, or print the document to take it to your doctor.

OA Self-assessment

If any of the above statements apply to you, you should see a doctor to get diagnosed.
If OA is detected early – or at least earlier – then patients can get treatment sooner and treatment progress could be better monitored, potentially leading to better outcomes.⁵

Causes of OA

OA usually develops slowly and gets progressively worse over time. It’s commonly observed when people are middle-aged and older. But you can develop it at any age, following a joint injury or another disorder.

There are certain factors that increase your risk of developing osteoarthritis (OA):

• Age: The older you get, the higher your risk
• Weight: Increased body weight increases your risk ³
• Injury or overuse: Athletes and people with active jobs are at higher risk
• Genetics: Recent research suggests that knee OA is partially caused by your genes ⁴
• Muscle weakness: Weakness in the muscles increases your risk
• Other diseases: Rheumatoid arthritis, hemochromatosis (having too much iron), and acromegaly (excessive growth hormone) increase your risk