What symptoms of osteoarthritis do doctors look for?

To screen their patients for osteoarthritis, doctors usually check for these symptoms:

• the amount of pain in a joint 
• range of motion -- how far the joint can be moved in any direction before it feels painful
• muscle strength around the painful joint
• swelling or tenderness around the joint
• changes in the way you walk (gait), this could be a sign of osteoarthritis in the knee or hip