Osteoarthritis of the neck. Coloured computed tomography (CT) scans of sagittal sections through the head and neck of a 65-year-old patient with osteoarthritis affecting the C3 to C6 vertebra (backbones). 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 for osteoarthritis. Symptoms may be relieved by analgesic drugs and physiotherapy. Joint-replacement surgery is used in some of the most severe cases.