10/04/2024
Bone and Joint Disorders Affect People of All Ages
Orthopedic Specialists Help People Get Back to Living the Quality of Life They Desire
In the U.S., around 126.6 million people (about half the adult population) experience musculoskeletal (bone and joint) problems, says a report by the United States Bone and Joint Initiative. These issues include bone and joint diseases that can cause serious pain, loss of the ability to move freely and even, in the case of bone cancer, death. One in two women and up to one in four men over age 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis.
While it is true that age is a contributing factor for some people, bone and joint health issues impact children, and adults under the age of 50. It’s not just an “old folks” health challenge.
Bone Disorders
Some common issues you may have heard of include:
Osteoporosis—bone loss, affecting as many as 53 million Americans, that weakens bones, making them more likely to break
Osteomalacia — bone softening
Hyperparathyroidism — calcium loss caused by an overactive parathyroid gland
Paget disease — enlarged, weak bones
Developmental bone disorders occurring in children
Spine disorders — including scoliosis (or curvature of the spine), herniated (or ruptured) disc, stenosis (narrowing of spaces within the spine), axial spondylitis (a type of arthritis that can cause the bones in the spine to fuse) and spinal osteoarthritis (arthritis of the spine)
Fractures — broken bones
Bone cancer — abnormal cells that attack the bones and joints. It can start in bones and joints, or spread from cancer elsewhere in the body
Although these disorders, taken together, make up the bulk of bone problems for people in the U.S., osteoarthritis is the largest contributor. More than half of adults 65 and older experience osteoarthritis. However, two thirds of men and women with osteoarthritis are under 65. Predictions call for osteoarthritis to affect about 67 million people in the U.S. by 2030. That’s about 25 percent of the adult population.
Bone Fractures
Breaking a bone is an injury that happens to people of all ages. Some bone breaks, or fractures, are more common among children. Others occur more among adults or seniors. Depending on how the bone breaks treatment and recovery will vary.
Some common bone fractures include:
Collarbone Fracture • Wrist Fracture
Ankle Fracture • Vertebral Fracture
Hip Fracture • Forearm Fracture
Shinbone Fracture
Joint Disorders
That so many people develop arthritis means the number of joint problems keeps orthopedic physicians busy. Joint issues can have several causes, but the most common is some type of arthritis. The possibilities include, among others:
Osteoarthritis. Resulting from cartilage breakdown as people age, leads to pain and stiffness
Rheumatoid arthritis. An autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks cells in the joint, causing inflammation and destroying bone and cartilage, the tissue that prevents the bones of the joint from rubbing together.
Spondyloarthritis. A disease group including enteropathic arthritis, which might be an inflammatory bowel disease complication; and psoriatic arthritis, which usually affects hand and foot joints.
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Arising from unknown causes, can affect children’s muscles, ligaments, joints, internal organs and eyes. It can also disrupt growth.
Arthritis begins in the joints and can damage the bones that make them up. Although medication and other measures, including less-invasive surgery, such as arthroscopy, as well as medications and physical therapy, can ease the pain and stiffness arthritis causes, they can’t make it go away. Eventually, a partial or total joint replacement will likely be necessary.
