NCLEX-RN PRACTICE QUESTION (OA)

When assessing a patient diagnosed with osteoarthritis (OA), the healthcare provider looks for which characteristic of this condition?

Please choose from one of the following options.

• 
  

  Waddling gait
• 
  

  Decreased grip strength
• 
  

  Joint crepitus
• 
  

  Bilateral joint swelling

HINTS:

1.  Malfunction of the chondrocytes, the cells that create and sustain cartilage, is a key feature OA pathogenesis.

2.  The function of cartilage is to cushion the joints.

3.  Crepitus is present when cartilage is lost. It is characterized by a popping, grating sound, or sometimes the patient feels bone rubbing against bone secondary to loss of cartilage. Decreased grip strength and bilateral joint swelling are more often seen in rheumatoid arthritis. A waddling gait (a duck-like gait) is sometimes seen in the third trimester of pregnancy (due to anatomical and hormonal changes) or with muscular diseases such as muscular dystrophy.

ANSWER: 3