arthroscopy

Your joints are places where two or more bones come together. Your shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, and knuckles are all joints. Your spine has joints, too.

But joints are more than bones. They include the soft tissues around them, such as cartilage, tendons and ligaments. Cartilage is the hard slippery flexible tissue that covers the ends of your bones at a joint. Tendons are tough, flexible bands that connect your muscles to your bones so you can move your joints. Ligaments connect the bones of the joint to each other to keep them stable when you move.

Joint disorders are diseases or injuries that affect your joints. Injuries can happen because of overuse of a joint. Or you could have a sudden injury, such as an accident or a sports injury.

Many diseases can affect the joints. They often cause joint pain and make your joints stiff, red, or swollen. Most of them are chronic. That means they last a long time. Some may never go away completely. Some of the diseases that affect the joints include:

• Arthritis. Arthritis may cause joint pain and swelling. There are many types of this disease. Osteoarthritis is the most common type. Over time, arthritis can cause severe joint damage. It can affect people of all ages. A joint injury when you're young may cause osteoarthritis later in life.
• Lupus. This autoimmune disease affects many parts of the body and can cause joint and muscle pain. Some types of lupus often cause arthritis.
• Sjögren's Syndrome. This autoimmune disease affects glands that make moisture in many parts of the body. The main symptoms are dry eyes and mouth, but it often causes joint pain, too.

Treatments are different depending on the disease. But most treatments include medicines and therapies to relieve pain and other symptoms.

Joint disorders from sudden injuries include:

• Sprains and strains. Sprains are stretched or torn ligaments. Acute strains are stretched or torn muscles or tendons that happen from a sudden injury or movement, such as lifting a heavy object.
• Dislocated joints. A joint is dislocated when the bones are pushed or pulled out of position. A joint dislocation is a medical emergency.

Treatment depends on the type of injury. You can treat many sports injuries at home. But you should call your health care provider if you:

• Have a lot of joint pain, swelling or numbness
• Can't put weight on the joint
• Have pain from an old injury with more swelling, an unstable joint, or a joint that isn't normal in another way

Overuse injuries usually damage the soft tissues of the joint. They can happen when you work a joint too hard by doing the same movements over and over. For example, you could get an overuse injury from playing a musical instrument, playing sports, or doing certain jobs, such as carpentry or painting.

Joint overuse injuries include:

• Bursitis. The bursa is a small fluid-filled sac. It works as a pad between the bones of a joint and the moving parts around it, such as muscles, tendons and skin. With bursitis, the bursa becomes irritated and swollen with extra fluid. Overuse is the most common cause, but injuries, infections and other conditions, such as arthritis, can cause bursitis.
• Tendinitis. This condition happens when you overuse a tendon. It swells and makes the joint painful to move.
• Chronic strain. A strain becomes chronic when your muscles or tendons stretch or tear slowly over time from repeating the same movements.

The treatments for bursitis, tendinitis, and chronic strain are often the same. They usually include rest, keeping the injured joint higher than your heart, and taking medicine to reduce swelling. Your provider may recommend gentle exercise and other treatment. In some cases, your provider may suggest an injection (a shot) of medicine into the joint. If these do not help, you may need surgery.

Getting enough physical activity is one of the most important things you can do to prevent or slow joint disorders. Activity strengthens the muscles around your joints and helps them work better.

When you play sports, wear the right equipment to protect your joints, such as knee pads. If you already have joint problems, ask your provider what type of activities are best for you.

NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Your knee joint is made up of bone, cartilage, ligaments and fluid. Muscles and tendons help the knee joint move. When any of these structures is hurt or diseased, you have knee problems. Knee problems can cause pain and difficulty walking.

Knee problems are very common, and they occur in people of all ages. Knee problems can interfere with many things, from participation in sports to simply getting up from a chair and walking. This can have a big impact on your life.

The most common disease affecting the knee is osteoarthritis. The cartilage in the knee gradually wears away, causing pain and swelling.

Injuries to ligaments and tendons also cause knee problems. A common injury is to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). You usually injure your ACL by a sudden twisting motion. ACL and other knee injuries are common sports injuries.

Treatment of knee problems depends on the cause. In some cases your doctor may recommend knee replacement.

NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Endoscopy is a procedure that lets your doctor look inside your body. It uses an instrument called an endoscope, or scope for short. Scopes have a tiny camera attached to a long, thin tube. The doctor moves it through a body passageway or opening to see inside an organ. Sometimes scopes are used for surgery, such as for removing polyps from the colon.

There are many different kinds of endoscopy. Here are the names of some of them and where they look.:

• Arthroscopy: joints
• Bronchoscopy: lungs
• Colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy: large intestine
• Cystoscopy and ureteroscopy: urinary system
• Laparoscopy: abdomen or pelvis
• Upper gastrointestinal endoscopy: esophagus and stomach

Your ankle bone and the ends of your two lower leg bones make up the ankle joint. Your ligaments, which connect bones to one another, stabilize and support it. Your muscles and tendons move it.

The most common ankle problems are sprains and fractures (broken bones). A sprain is an injury to the ligaments. It may take a few weeks to many months to heal completely. A fracture is a break in a bone. You can also injure other parts of the ankle such as tendons, which join muscles to bone, and cartilage, which cushions your joints. Ankle sprains and fractures are common sports injuries.

Your rotator cuff is part of your shoulder joint. It's a group of muscles and tendons that holds the top part of your upper arm bone firmly in your shoulder socket. The rotator cuff keeps your shoulder stable when you move your arm in any direction.

Rotator cuff injuries are common. Most of them are wear-and-tear injuries from doing the same arm movements over and over - especially reaching over your head. With time, the tissues in the rotator cuff break down, leading to these injuries:

• Tendinitis. The tendons in the rotator cuff connect your muscles to your shoulder bones. In tendinitis, the tendons become irritated and swollen from being pinched during shoulder movements.
• Bursitis. The bursa is a small, fluid-filled sac that pads the space between the rotator cuff and the bones of your shoulder. Bursitis happens when the muscle and bone rub the bursa too much. It swells with extra fluid, which causes pain
• Rotator cuff tears. Tears in a rotator cuff tendon can happen over time or suddenly from an injury, such as falling on an outstretched arm or lifting something heavy. A tear may go part way through a tendon (partial tear) or all the way through (full tear).

Anyone can develop a rotator cuff injury. But certain people are more likely to have one:

• People over age 40. Most rotator cuff injuries are from the wear and tear of aging. By age 80, most adults have tears.
• Athletes. Playing sports with repeated shoulder movements increases the risk of a rotator cuff injury, for example, tennis, swimming, and baseball - especially pitching.
• People in jobs that require a lot of reaching overhead or heavy lifting. Carpenters, construction workers, and painters are examples of workers who may be more likely to have rotator cuff problems.

Rotator cuff injuries don't always cause pain. But when they do, the pain is often in the top part of your arm or shoulder. You may feel more pain when you:

• Lie down, especially on the injured shoulder
• Lift your arm or lower it to the front or side
• Reach behind your back

Other symptoms from a torn rotator cuff may include:

• Loss of strength in the arm
• Clicking or popping sounds when you move your arm

To find out if you have a rotator cuff injury, your health care provider:

• Will examine your shoulder. This includes checking the range of motion and where the pain is.
• Will test your arm and shoulder strength.
• May order imaging tests, such as x-rays, an ultrasound, or an MRI scan.

The best treatment for you depends on your age, how much your injury bothers you, and whether your injury was sudden or happened from wear and tear.

Treatments for rotator cuff injuries often include:

• Rest
• Putting ice or a cold pack on the sore area
• Pain relievers to lessen pain and swelling, such as ibuprofen or aspirin
• Physical therapy exercises to strengthen your shoulder and improve movement
• A corticosteroid shot into your shoulder joint if other treatments don't help with the pain

Treatments for rotator cuff tendinitis and bursitis may also include ultrasound therapy. Surgery may be an option if your shoulder doesn't feel better in 6 to 12 months.

Treatments for a torn rotator cuff may also include heat to the sore area or electrical stimulation of the nerves and muscles (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, TENS).

You provider may suggest surgery if your tear is large or is from a recent injury, or symptoms last for 6 to 12 months.

If certain activities bother your shoulder, it's best to stop doing them and check with your provider. That's because early treatment can prevent mild rotator cuff injuries from becoming more serious later on. If you your arm feels weak right after a sudden injury to your shoulder, see your provider as soon as possible.

Your shoulder joint is composed of three bones: the clavicle (collarbone), the scapula (shoulder blade), and the humerus (upper arm bone). Your shoulders are the most movable joints in your body. They can also be unstable because the ball of the upper arm is larger than the shoulder socket that holds it. To remain in a stable or normal position, the shoulder must be anchored by muscles, tendons, and ligaments.

Because your shoulder can be unstable, it can be easily injured. Common problems include:

• Sprains and strains
• Dislocations
• Separations
• Tendinitis
• Bursitis
• Torn rotator cuffs
• Frozen shoulder
• Fractures (broken bones)
• Arthritis

Health care providers diagnose shoulder problems by using your medical history, a physical exam, and imaging tests.

Often, the first treatment for shoulder problems is RICE. This stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. Other treatments include exercise and medicines to reduce pain and swelling. If those don't work, you may need surgery.

NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Your wrist connects your hand to your forearm. It is not one big joint; it has several small joints. This makes it flexible and allows you to move your hand in different ways. The wrist has two big forearm bones and eight small bones known as carpals. It also has tendons and ligaments, which are connective tissues. Tendons connect muscles to bones. Ligaments connect bones to each other.

Some of the more common types of wrist injuries and disorders are:

• Carpal tunnel syndrome, which happens when a nerve that runs from your forearm into your palm becomes squeezed at the wrist
• Ganglion cysts, which are noncancerous lumps or masses
• Gout, which is a form of arthritis caused by a buildup of uric acid in your joints
• Fractures (broken bones)
• Osteoarthritis, the most common type of arthritis. It is caused by wear and tear of the joints.
• Sprains and strains, which are injuries to ligaments and injuries to muscles or tendons
• Tendinitis, inflammation of a tendon, usually due to overuse

Certain things can put you at higher risk of having a wrist problem, including:

• Doing sports, which can put you at risk for injuries and puts stress on your wrist. For example, you may fall on your outstretched hand when you are skating or snowboarding. Your wrist could be injured while doing contact sports. And other sports such as gymnastics and basketball can strain your wrists.
• Doing repetitive wrist motions, such as typing on a keyboard, working on an assembly line, or using power tools.
• Having certain diseases. For example, rheumatoid arthritis can cause wrist pain.

The symptoms of a wrist problem can vary, depending on the problem. A common symptom is wrist pain. Some other possible symptoms include swelling, a decrease in wrist strength, and sudden numbness or tingling.

Your health care provider may use many tools to make a diagnosis:

• A medical history, which includes asking about your symptoms
• A physical exam, including checking your wrist strength and range of motion
• An x-ray or other imaging test
• Blood tests

Treatments for wrist pain depends on the type of injury or disorder. They may include:

• Resting your wrist
• Wearing a wrist brace or cast
• Pain relievers
• Cortisone shots
• Physical therapy
• Surgery

To try to prevent wrist problems, you can:

• Use wrist guards, when doing sports that put you at risk for wrist injuries
• In the workplace, perform stretching exercises and take frequent rest breaks. You should also pay attention to ergonomics to make sure that you are using the proper wrist position while working.
• Make sure that you get enough calcium and vitamin D to keep your bones strong

Carpal tunnel syndrome is the name for a group of problems that includes numbness, tingling, weakness, or pain in your wrist or hand. It's a very common condition that happens when a nerve in your wrist becomes squeezed.

The carpal tunnel is a narrow opening between the bones in your wrist and the ligament that holds them together. A nerve, called the median nerve, runs from your lower arm through the carpal tunnel and into your hand. This nerve provides feeling to your thumb and first three fingers. It also helps you move your thumb.

Tendons also run from your lower arm, through the carpal tunnel, and into your hand. The tendons connect your finger bones to muscles in your arm, so you can bend your fingers.

If the tendons become swollen or irritated inside the carpal tunnel, they may press on the nerve. The squeezed nerve may not work well, which can lead to numbness, weakness, and other symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

In certain cases, the cause of carpal tunnel syndrome is unknown. But it usually happens from a combination of things that affect the structures in your wrist, such as:

• Injury to your wrist that causes swelling, such as a sprain or broken bone
• Health conditions that can affect your nerves, joints, or other parts of your wrist, for example:
  • Diabetes.
  • Rheumatoid arthritis.
  • A cyst or tumor in your wrist.
  • Changes in certain hormones, which may cause swelling from extra fluid in your body. Examples include an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism), pregnancy and menopause.
  • Problems with the way your wrist is formed.
• Doing the same wrist and hand movements over and over, such as:
  • Assembly line work.
  • Carpentry or using tools that vibrate.
  • Knitting, gardening, or sports, such as golf.

Researchers aren't sure whether long-term typing or computer use leads to carpal tunnel syndrome.

Carpal tunnel syndrome usually happens only in adults. You're more likely to develop it if you:

• Are a woman. Women are three times more likely to have carpal tunnel syndrome than men.
• Have a health condition that may affect structures in your wrist.
• Do activities with repeated hand motions.
• Have had a wrist injury.
• Have a close relative who has had carpal tunnel syndrome, such as a parent, brother or sister.

You may feel numbness, tingling or burning in your fingers, especially in your thumb, index, and middle fingers. Symptoms often affect both hands.

In the early stages, symptoms usually:

• Start slowly in your dominant hand (the one you write with)
• Happen at night if you sleep with your wrists bent

As symptoms get worse, you may notice:

• Tingling, pain, or weakness with certain activities, such as driving or holding a phone
• Difficulty grasping or holding small things
• Feeling like your fingers are swollen when they're not

Without treatment, you could lose feeling in some fingers and have permanent weakness in your thumb. But early diagnosis and treatment can help prevent lasting damage.

To find out if you have carpal tunnel syndrome, your health care provider will:

• Ask about your medical history
• Ask about your family health history
• Do a physical exam
• Order tests if needed, such as:
  • Lab tests to look for diseases that may damage nerves
  • X-rays to look for broken bones or arthritis
  • Tests to measure the electrical activity in your nerves and muscles
  • Ultrasound to check the nerve in the carpal tunnel

It's easier to treat carpal tunnel syndrome early on, so you should start treatment as soon as possible. Your provider will first treat any health conditions you have that may cause your symptoms. The next step would be treatments for carpal tunnel syndrome. They may include:

• Wrist splints (usually worn at night).
• Rest.
• Medicines to reduce swelling and pain:
• Over-the-counter pain relievers, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen sodium.
• Prescriptionsteroids, either pills or an injection (shot) into your wrist.
• Other therapies (complementary and integrative medicine). Research shows that yoga may help with pain and weakness. Some people may find acupuncture and chiropractic care helpful, but research hasn't shown that these therapies can improve carpal tunnel syndrome. If you want to try other therapies, talk with your provider first.
• Surgery to make more space in the carpal tunnel. Surgery may be an option if your symptoms are severe and other treatments don't work. It involves cutting the wrist ligament to take pressure off the nerve. Recovery may take months. Carpal tunnel syndrome rarely comes back after surgery, but mild symptoms may last.

You may help prevent carpal tunnel syndrome if you protect your wrists:

• Use good posture to keep your wrists in a natural position.
• Keep your hands warm to keep your muscles flexible. Fingerless gloves may help.
• Take work breaks and vary your tasks.
• Stretch and exercise your hands and wrists.
• Organize your workspace and tools to reduce strain on your hands and wrists.

Cartilage is the tough but flexible tissue that covers the ends of your bones at a joint. It also gives shape and support to other parts of your body, such as your ears, nose and windpipe. Healthy cartilage helps you move by allowing your bones to glide over each other. It also protects bones by preventing them from rubbing against each other.

Injured, inflamed, or damaged cartilage can cause symptoms such as pain and limited movement. It can also lead to joint damage and deformity. Causes of cartilage problems include :

• Tears and injuries, such as sports injuries
• Genetic factors
• Other disorders, such as some types of arthritis

Osteoarthritis results from breakdown of cartilage.

NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Each of your feet has 26 bones, 33 joints, and more than 100 tendons, muscles, and ligaments. No wonder a lot of things can go wrong. Here are a few common problems:

• Bunions - hard, painful bumps on the big toe joint
• Corns and calluses - thickened skin from friction or pressure
• Plantar warts - warts on the soles of your feet
• Fallen arches - also called flat feet

Ill-fitting shoes often cause these problems. Aging and being overweight also increase your chances of having foot problems.