Symptoms

• In severe osteoarthritis, the symptoms of the disease have significantly worsened. Symptoms include painful, tender and stiff joints, bone spurs around joints, a grating sensation when using joints and the loss of flexibility.
  
  

Medicines

• Severe osteoarthritis is treated with strong, prescription painkillers, such as codeine. Other medicines used to treat severe osteoarthritis include cortisone injections and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
  
  

Therapy

• Severe osteoarthritis may be treated with medical devices, such as braces or shoe inserts to help reduce pain. Patients may also undergo physical therapy to strengthen muscles and reduce pain.
  
  

Surgery

• Surgical procedures used to treat severe osteoarthritis include replacing damaged joints with metal or plastic ones, realigning bones to relieve pain and fusing bones together to stabilize joints.
  
  

Alternative Treatment

• Alternative treatment of severe osteoarthritis includes taking an oil mixture called avocado-soybean unsaponifiables (ASUs) to slow degradation of cartilage, and using acupuncture, tai chi or yoga for stress and pain relief.