Dr. Anjali Arora - 5 Steps towards Managing Aches and Pains

The bodys 206 bones are connected through different types of joints. These different kinds of joints perform various functions. Some of these joints are:

The ball and socket joints (hips and shoulders)

Hinge joints (e.g. help connecting knees)

Pivot joints (wrist)

Saddle joints (connecting the thumb to the hand)

Vertebral joints

The joints are tied together by ligaments and covered with cartilage. The cartilage is smooth, but made up of tough, elastic material. It acts as a shock absorber and allows the bone ends to glide smoothly across each other. A joint cavity exists between the bones. This gives the bone the room to move. The joint space between the bones is enclosed by a capsule. The inner lining of this capsule, is the synovium, which produces a thick fluid that helps lubricate and nourish the joints.

Osteoarthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis

Gout and pseudogout

Septic arthritis

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Ankylosing spondylitis

Stills disease

Psoriatic arthritis

Lupus erythematosus

Reactive arthritis

Some diseases which present themselves like arthritis are:

Osteoporosis

Multiple myeloma

Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy

Osteoarthritis is basically an ailment of the joints. Osteoarthritis is not a primary inflammatory disorder, but is due to the gradual wear and tear of the affected area. Pathologically, osteoarthritis is defined as loss of articular cartilage and damage of the bone.

Primary OA The cause of osteoarthritis is primarily related to ageing. Primary osteoarthritis occurs without any identifiable cause.

Secondary OA It is normally due to the presence of an underlying condition or disease like

Injury to joint from an accident

Inflammatory disorder, e.g. septic arthritis

Deficiency disorder as bow leg

Metabolic condition, e.g. acromegaly