The first step in diagnosing process of the degenerative osteoarthritis is checking out whether the arthritis is a primary one or is the result of several conditions combined together. The doctor first starts with knowing the medical history of the patient, then it is followed by physical examination of the person affected.

X-ray is the most common way of checking out the presence of degenerative osteoarthritis. However, the fact is that the x-ray technique will not show the degree of degenerative osteoarthritis. It will only help to detect its presence. X-ray technique will help us to know the gap formed between the bone joints from which we can infer the level of damage caused by it. If the test results of the above method are not satisfactory then the doctor can go for MRI test. MRI is generally not recommended first. Sometimes blood test is also recommended to diagnose degenerative osteoarthritis.

Another technique is arthrocentesis, where a sterile needle is injected in the joint to remove fluid from the joint and then this fluid is sent for analysis. Sometimes arthroscopy is used where a tube is inserted into the joint space and the damaged cartilage is repaired.