| Medical Dictionary |
A Medical Dictionary of Medical Terminology
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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:
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
A sprain is a stretched or torn ligament. Ligaments are tissues that connect bones at a joint. Falling, twisting, or getting hit can all cause a sprain. Ankle and wrist sprains are common. Symptoms include pain, swelling, bruising, and being unable to move your joint. You might feel a pop or tear when the injury happens.
A strain is a stretched or torn muscle or tendon. Tendons are tissues that connect muscle to bone. Twisting or pulling these tissues can cause a strain. Strains can happen suddenly or develop over time. Back and hamstring muscle strains are common. Many people get strains playing sports. Symptoms include pain, muscle spasms, swelling, and trouble moving the muscle.
At first, treatment of both sprains and strains usually involves resting the injured area, icing it, wearing a bandage or device that compresses the area, and medicines. Later treatment might include exercise and physical therapy.
NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
If you feel pain and stiffness in your body or have trouble moving around, you might have arthritis. Any disorder that affects the joints is often called arthritis. Joints are places where two bones meet, such as your elbow or knee.
Most types of arthritis can cause joint pain and inflammation (swelling). Over time, a swollen joint can become severely damaged. Some kinds of arthritis can also cause problems in your organs, such as your eyes or skin. Treatment will depend on the type of arthritis you have.
What are the types of arthritis?Common types of arthritis include:
Pain, redness, warmth, and joint inflammation are common arthritis symptoms. You may not be able to move your joint as well as it should. Other symptoms could include fever, weight loss, breathing difficulties, or a rash.
Symptoms often get worse as you age. Some symptoms of arthritis may be signs of other illnesses.
Who is more likely to get arthritis?A few things that might increase your chance of getting arthritis include:
Other factors that might increase your risk of getting arthritis include having a previous joint injury, obesity, or lupus.
How is arthritis diagnosed?To find out if you have arthritis, your health care provider may:
Your provider may refer you to a rheumatologist (a doctor who specializes in arthritis care) for tests, diagnosis, and care.
What are the treatments for arthritis?Treatment depends on the type of arthritis you have. It may include medicine or surgery. Your provider will work with you to improve your symptoms and quality of life.
A few ways to help manage your symptoms include:
NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
A bursa is a small, fluid-filled sac that acts as a cushion between a bone and other moving parts, such as muscles, tendons, or skin. Bursitis occurs when a bursa becomes inflamed. People get bursitis by overusing a joint. It can also be caused by an injury. It usually occurs at the knee or elbow. Kneeling or leaning your elbows on a hard surface for a long time can make bursitis start. Doing the same kinds of movements every day or putting stress on joints increases your risk.
Symptoms of bursitis include pain and swelling. Your doctor will diagnose bursitis with a physical exam and tests such as x-rays and MRIs. He or she may also take fluid from the swollen area to be sure the problem isn't an infection.
Treatment of bursitis includes rest, pain medicines, or ice. If there is no improvement, your doctor may inject a drug into the area around the swollen bursa. If the joint still does not improve after 6 to 12 months, you may need surgery to repair damage and relieve pressure on the bursa.
NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Your hip is the joint where your femur (thigh bone) meets your pelvis (hip bone). There are two main parts: a ball at the end of the femur, which fits in a socket in the pelvis. Your hip is known as a ball-and-socket joint. This is because you have a ball at the end of your femur, and it fits into a socket in your pelvis. This makes your hips very stable and allows for a wide range of motion. When they are healthy, it takes great force to hurt them. However, playing sports, running, overuse, or falling can sometimes lead to hip injuries such as:
Certain diseases also lead to hip injuries or problems. Osteoarthritis can cause pain and limited motion. Osteoporosis of the hip causes weak bones that break easily. Both of these are common in older people.
Another problem is hip dysplasia, where the ball at the end of the femur is loose in the hip socket. It can cause hip dislocation. Babies who have hip dysplasia are usually born with it, but sometimes they develop it later.
Treatment for hip disorders may include rest, medicines, physical therapy, or surgery, including hip replacement.
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.
What are joint disorders?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.
What diseases can affect the joints?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:
Treatments are different depending on the disease. But most treatments include medicines and therapies to relieve pain and other symptoms.
What types of joint disorders happen from sudden injuries?Joint disorders from sudden injuries include:
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:
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:
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.
How can I keep my joints healthy?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
Osteoarthritis, sometimes called OA, is a type of arthritis that only affects the joints, usually in the hands, knees, hips, neck, and lower back. It's the most common type of arthritis.
In a healthy joint, the ends of the bones are covered with a smooth, slippery tissue called cartilage. The cartilage pads the bones and helps them glide easily when you move the joint. With osteoarthritis, the cartilage breaks down and becomes rough. Sometimes, all the cartilage wears away and the bones rub together. Bumps of extra bone called bone spurs may grow in the joint area.
There is no cure for osteoarthritis. It usually gets worse slowly. But there's a lot you can do to manage the symptoms.
What are the symptoms of osteoarthritis?Osteoarthritis affects people in different ways, and not everyone has pain. The most common symptoms are:
Researchers aren't sure what causes osteoarthritis. They think that it could be caused by a combination of factors in the body and the environment. Your chance of developing osteoarthritis increases with age. They also know that some people are more likely to develop it than others.
Who is more likely to develop osteoarthritis?Things that make you more likely to develop osteoarthritis include:
There is no specific test for osteoarthritis. To find out if you have osteoarthritis, your provider:
The goal of treating osteoarthritis is to ease your pain, help you move better, and stop it from getting worse.
Treatment usually begins with:
You can buy some pain relievers and arthritis creams without a prescription. They can be helpful, but it's best to talk to your provider about using them. If they don't help enough, your provider may prescribe injections (shots) into the joint or prescription pain relievers.
Complementary therapies may help some people. Massage can increase blood flow and bring warmth to the area. Some research shows that acupuncture may help relieve osteoarthritis pain. Simple things like heat and ice can help, too.
If none of these treatments help enough, surgery may be an option. You and your provider can decide if it's right for you.
NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Tendons are flexible bands of tissue that connect muscles to bones. They help your muscles move your bones. Tendinitis is the severe swelling of a tendon.
Tendinitis usually happens after repeated injury to an area such as the wrist or ankle. It causes pain and soreness around a joint. Some common forms of tendinitis are named after the sports that increase their risk. They include tennis elbow, golfer's elbow, pitcher's shoulder, swimmer's shoulder, and jumper's knee.
Doctors diagnose tendinitis with your medical history, a physical exam, and imaging tests. The first step in treatment is to reduce pain and swelling. Rest, wrapping or elevating the affected area, and medicines can help. Ice is helpful for recent, severe injuries. Other treatments include ultrasound, physical therapy, steroid injections, and surgery.
Acne is a common skin disease that causes pimples. Pimples form when hair follicles under your skin clog up. Most pimples form on the face, neck, back, chest, and shoulders. Anyone can get acne, but it is common in teenagers and young adults. It is not serious, but it can cause scars.
No one knows exactly what causes acne. Hormone changes, such as those during the teenage years and pregnancy, probably play a role. There are many myths about what causes acne. Chocolate and greasy foods are often blamed, but there is little evidence that foods have much effect on acne in most people. Another common myth is that dirty skin causes acne; however, blackheads and pimples are not caused by dirt. Stress doesn't cause acne, but stress can make it worse.
If you have acne:
Treatments for acne include medicines and creams.
NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a type of arthritis of the spine. It causes inflammation (swelling) between your vertebrae (the bones that make up your spine) and the joints between your spine and pelvis. AS inflammation can cause stiffness and make it difficult to move and bend.
Symptoms of AS can range from mild to severe back pain. Over time, AS can fuse (grow together) your vertebrae, limiting movement and causing a hunched posture. In some people, AS can affect other joints or body parts.
There is no cure for AS, but early treatment can help manage symptoms, slow down the disease, and help you lead a more productive life.
Who is more likely to get ankylosing spondylitis?Ankylosing spondylitis usually starts before age 45. Early symptoms may begin between the ages of 15 and 30. Your chance of developing AS can also increase if:
No one knows what causes ankylosing spondylitis, but the environment and genes likely play a role. Your genes are parts of DNA in your cells that are passed down from your parents. Certain genes may increase your risk of getting the disease, but not everyone with these genes gets AS.
What are the symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis?AS affects people differently. The most common symptom is pain and stiffness in the lower back and/or hips. The pain is usually worse during the night or after sitting for a long time.
Over time, AS may progress to other areas of your spine or body. Symptoms may depend on which areas of your body the disease affects. Some people have symptoms that come and go. Others may have severe, ongoing pain.
Other symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis may include:
There is no single test for ankylosing spondylitis. To find out if you have AS your health care provider may:
AS has no cure, but treatment may help relieve symptoms, maintain posture, and slow down the disease. Since other parts of your body can be affected by AS, you will likely work with a team of health care professionals for tests, diagnosis, and care.
Treatment usually includes medicine to help relieve symptoms and keep the disease from getting worse, as well as physical therapy to improve mobility. If AS is severe, surgery may be needed.
You can help manage your AS symptoms if you:
NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Disease