BONES 101 | ARTHRITIS | BONE CANCER | JOINT PAIN | BONE HEALTH
Bone FAQ
- What is Arthritis?
- How Dangerous is Bone Cancer?
- What is a Bone Fracture?
- What is a Bone Spur (Osteophyte)?
- What are the Types of Arthritis?
Arthritis is a general term for joint inflammation. Inflammation of joints causes pain, swelling, stiffness, and limited movement. There are over 100 different types of arthritis.
FAQ: How Dangerous is Bone Cancer?
Bone cancer that originates in the bones is not very common. More commonly the cancer spreads from other organs to the bones, in which it is metastatic (spreading) and very dangerous. Leukemia is a well-known type of bone cancer that affect the bone marrow (the inner-most layer of the bone).
A bone break is the same as bone fracture where the bone simply breaks apart. It is different from joint dislocation where the ligaments connecting 2 bones are broken. Bone breaks (fractures) occur in a single bone in one or more places within that bone.
Bone spurts (Osteophytes) are unusual outgrowths from a bone in strange and unnatural directions. They can be painless or cause a lot of pain. In cases where the pain prevents normal life activities, surgery is an option. Bone spurs are genetically predisposed and have no particular causes. Some suspicion in the medical field is that they are caused by inflammation.
There are many types of Bone Spurs:
- Spinal bone spurs
- Foot and ankle bone spurs
- Heel bone spur
FAQ: What Are the Types of Arthritis?
In this FAQ we cover a few common types of arthritis:
- Rheumatoid arthritis - the most common serious inflammatory form of arthritis, affecting roughly 1 per cent of the population. It is an aggressive form of arthritis that does most of its damage during the first year
- Psoriatic arthritis - often found in association with psoriasis. Because it may begin and progress insidiously
- Osteoarthritis - associated with aging and affects weight-bearing areas such as the spine, hips, knees, base of the thumbs, and feet. Genetics and mechanical factors also play a big role
- Polymyalgia rheumatica - occurs in population over the age of 50 and causes health and joint problems severe stiffness and aching in the neck, shoulders, and hips
- Ankylosing spondylitis - inflammatory form of arthritis affecting the spine and the sacroiliac joints. Often misdiagnosed because it tends to show itself through low back pain
- Reactive arthritis - a form of arthritis due to other health conditions such as infections, or stomach problems
- Gout - arthritis due to deposition of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals. Gout also hurts the kidneys
- Pseudogout - arthritis due to crystals (calcium deposits)
- Systemic lupus erythematosus - relatively common autoimmune disease that tends to affect women in the child-bearing years, is systemic in nature and capable of affecting many internal organ systems