Osteoarthritis of the hip. Coloured X-ray of a section through the pelvis of a 90-year-old female patient with osteoarthritis affecting the left hip (lower right), showing pinching in the upper joint space. The right hip is normal. Osteoarthritis (or arthrosis) is a common degenerative disease characterised by a loss of the cartilage that lines the joints between bones. This leads to pain, swelling and occasionally may result in the loss of function of the affected joint. No specific cure exists but symptoms may be relieved through analgesic drugs and physiotherapy. Joint-replacement surgery is used in some of the most severe cases.