Bones and Joints

Orthopedics is the study of the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic doctors specialize in diagnosis and treatment of problems of the musculoskeletal system. Over the years, the field has expanded to encompass many subspecialties and the treatment of a wide variety of musculoskeletal disorders in patients of all ages.

Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and non-surgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, sports injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, tumors, and congenital conditions. The musculoskeletal system provides form, stability, and movement to the human body. It is made up of the body's bones (the skeleton), muscles, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, joints, and other connective tissue.

There are two main parts to your skeleton: the bones of your head and torso, and the bones in the arms and legs.

Bones are made up of two types of bone: Compact bone is the solid, hard, outside part of the bone, and Cancellous bone, which looks like a sponge, is inside the compact bone.

There are five general classifications of bones. These are Long bones, Short bones, Flat bones, Irregular bones, and Sesamoid bones. The human skeleton is composed of both fused and individual bones supported by ligaments, tendons, muscles and cartilage.

Bones can move because of the way they are joined together. The place where two or more bones come together is called a joint. The bones at a joint are held together by strong bands of tissue called ligaments which allow the bones to move.

Bones are made up of calcium, phosphorus, sodium, and other minerals, as well as the protein collagen. Calcium is needed to make bones hard, which allows them to support body weight. The soft bone marrow inside many of the bones is where most of the blood cells are made. The bone marrow contains stem cells, which produce the body's red blood cells and platelets.

Conditions that can affect the bones, muscles, and joints include:

Osteomyelitis
Arthritis
Strains and sprains
Fracture
Osteoporosis
Muscular dystrophy
Osgood-Schlatter disease(OSD)
Repetitive stress injuries
Scoliosis
Tendinitis

A bursa is a small fluid-filled sac made of white fibrous tissue and lined with synovial membrane. It provides a cushion between bones and tendons and/or muscles around a joint

A ligament is a small band of dense, white, fibrous elastic tissue. Ligaments connect the ends of bones together in order to form a joint.

A tendon is a tough, flexible band of fibrous connective tissue that connects muscles to bones.

Joints are structures that connect individual bones and may allow bones to move against each other to cause movement. There are two divisions of joints, diarthroses which allow extensive mobility between two or more articular heads, and false joints or synarthroses, joints that are immovable, that allow little or no movement and are predominantly fibrous.

Further Information Regarding Bones and Joints

Arthritis Affects 1 in 6 Adults in Canada
With arthritis cases in Canada already at alarming levels and growing at unprecedented rates, the arthritis community is urging Canadians not to accept "no cure" as an answer.

Knee Pain - Try Exercise Therapy
Exercise therapy best for knee pain. Supervised exercise therapy vs. usual care for patellofemoral pain syndrome: an open label randomized controlled trial.

Hormone Keeps Joint Injuries from Causing Osteoarthritis
An existing osteoporosis drug is the first ever found to prevent cartilage loss from osteoarthritis following injury to a joint, and may also regenerate some cartilage that has been lost to osteoarthritis, according to an early study presented today at the annual meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research in Denver.

Plantar Fasciitis - Facts and Treatment
The most common cause of foot pain in America is Plantar Fasciitis, a condition that accounts for eleven to fifteen percent of all foot pain treatment that affects approximately one-million people in America every year.

Arthritis Awareness Month - Exercise
Almost two-thirds of Canadians struggling with arthritis believe that physical activity poses the risk of aggravating their symptoms, according to a recent poll commissioned by The Arthritis Society. This percentage was considerably higher than the general population who responded at 46 per cent, as indicated by the Ipsos Reid survey.

Frozen Shoulder and How to Treat It
A Frozen Shoulder is one of the most common shoulder conditions and one of the most disabling. It owes its name to the fact that the sufferer has the affected shoulder range of motion severely limited. Typically the person affected has trouble reaching up for cupboards, shampooing, steering the car wheel and so on. This is made even worse by the long recovery times to regain full range and mobility.

Vertebroplasty for Osteoporotic Spinal Compression Fractures
A new study led by Mayo Clinic researchers has found that relief of pain from vertebral compression fractures, as well as improvement in pain-related dysfunction, were similar in patients treated with vertebroplasty and those treated with simulated vertebroplasty without cement injections.

Strength Training Exercise May Help Treat Tennis Elbow Pain
People with pain in the elbow or forearm from playing sports or just from common everyday activities, might be able to use a simple bar and strengthening exercise to alleviate pain, say researchers who are presenting their study results at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's Annual Meeting in Keystone, Colorado, July 9th-12th.

Study Identifies Potential Fix for Damaged Knees
Biodegradable scaffold or plug can be used to treat patients with damaged knee cartilage. The study is unique in that it used serial magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and newer quantitative T2 mapping to examine how the plug incorporated itself into the knee. The research, abstract 8372, will be presented during the annual meeting of the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine, June 9-12, in Keystone, Colo.

Ankle Talus Injury Repairs
People with ankle injuries who do not respond successfully to initial treatment may have a second chance at recovery, thanks to two new procedures developed to restore the injured area, according to a study published in the July 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS).

Tendonitis Relief with Rotator Cuff Treatment
A minimally invasive procedure to treat tendonitis in the rotator cuff of the shoulder provides immediate symptom relief to the patient, according to a study published in the July issue of Radiology. The study found that ultrasound-guided nonsurgical therapy significantly reduces pain from calcific tendonitis of the rotator cuff and restores lasting mobility after treatment.

Knee Replacement Surgery Techniques
A study published in a recent issue of Arthritis and Rheumatism found that knee replacement is effective at restoring the mobility and physical functioning of the knee and relieving patients of the irrepressible pain and significant restrictions on quality of life caused by osteoarthritis.

Polyarthralgia Joint Pain and Fibromyalgia
Polyarthralgia is defined as aches in the joints, joint pains, arthralgia of multiple joints, and multiple joint pain. Polyarthritis is the word usually used to describe pain affecting five or more joints, while a patient with 2 to 4 joints involved would be said to have oligoarticular disease.

Osteogenesis Imperfecta Information
Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI) is a group of genetic disorders that mainly affect the bones. The term “osteogenesis imperfecta” means imperfect bone formation.

Plantar Fasciitis Heel and Foot Pain
Although it may sound unfamiliar to some, plantar fasciitis is by far the most common type of injury that affects the heel of the foot. The plantar fascia is a ligament that runs the length of the foot, attaching to the heel bone and running through the foot towards the toes. This structure is made up of many small bands of tissue. Like a rubber band, the fascia can stretch out and become tense and then become loose again.

Tendon Rupture Signs and Symptoms
An Achilles tendon is a tendon located at the back of the lower leg and is connected to the heel bone. Achilles tendon rupture occurs when an individual tears the tendon, either partially or completely. Tendon rupture can occur in many instances and is caused by an array of physical activities.

Chronic Tendonitis Causes and Treatment
As we get older the tendons start to lose there elasticity due to age and normal wear and tear. The elderly are at a higher risk of developing chronic tendonitis. Sometimes with over use, these tendons will break or tear and then scar tissue will form. Scar tissue is not as flexible as the tendons themselves and with continued use inflammation and pain will occur.

Shoulder Rotator Cuff Pain and Exercises
Rotator cuff tendonitis and tears are common disorders of some of the muscles that control movement of the arm and shoulder. Rotator cuff tendonitis and tears are collectively known as Impingement Syndrome. The rotator cuff refers to a group of muscles and their corresponding tendons, whose main function lies in stabilizing the shoulder. Wrapped around the shoulder joint, these tendons and muscles make it possible for the shoulder to engage in a wider range of motion.

Multiple Hereditary Exostoses Information
Multiple Hereditary Exostoses produces bone deformities, shortened stature, bony growths, limb length discrepancies, and tumors. Symptoms also include difficulty moving joints, loss of motion, and fatigue. MHE can stretch or compress nerves, causing motor and sensory difficulties and pain; irritating muscles and tendons, and creating severe fatigue in the person afflicted. The tumors associated with MHE can cause an array of additional issues.