Importance of preventing and managing conditions that affect bones and joints

With October 12 – 20 being World Bone and Joint Week, ER24 is urging people to live healthier lifestyles, by highlighting the need to prevent and manage conditions that affect musculoskeletal health.

According to ER24 Spokesperson, Chitra Bodasing Harduth, bones are living tissue that continuously modify themselves, according to the activity a person undertakes.

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“With little activity to stimulate the bone cells, the bones will progressively become weaker. Joints are designed to move and therefore, healthy activity is required to keep them functional,” Mrs Harduth said.

She said by not taking care of your bones and joints, one could risk developing conditions which could significantly hinder one’s quality of life. “Obesity, poor diet, smoking and lack of exercise are some risk factors that contribute to the development of joint and bone problems.”

Mrs Harduth explained that besides injuries such as sprains, dislocations and fractures, the most common bone and joint condition affecting people was arthritis.

Explaining further, Dr Vernon Wessels, from ER24, said, osteoarthritis developed as a result of damage to cartilage of the joints, due to abnormal loading, causing wear and tear, usually taking years to develop, whereas rheumatoid arthritis was a condition where a person’s own immune system caused damage to the cartilage.

“Septic arthritis is a condition where a person develops an infection in a joint, usually arising from another infective focus somewhere in the body. This is not too uncommon in young children and requires urgent attention,” he said.

Another common inflammatory condition of the joints that affected adults was gout, where increased uric acid caused crystals to be deposited in the joints causing damage and pain. This was often precipitated through certain foods and drinks like alcohol, especially beer, red meat, and certain seafood, like anchovies, herring, mackerel and mussels.

“Cancers of the bone do occur. Fortunately, these conditions are not as common as the others mentioned. However, any abnormal growth or pain in bones, especially in children, should be seen to by a doctor,” said Dr Wessels.

He said the most common symptoms associated with the majority of conditions is usually pain and stiffness or limited movement of the joint. “However, there are specific symptoms that would point to a specific cause. For example, a warm, swollen painful joint is likely to be inflamed either through an infection as with septic arthritis or through another joint inflammatory condition like gout,” said Dr Wessels.

“Due to the various causes of joint and bone pain and many being easily treatable but having devastating consequences if left unchecked, it is preferable that people seek medical assistance with any new onset pain or stiffness in a joint that does not resolve fully within a short period of time a day or two,” he explained.

“The doctor may refer you for x-rays and possibly blood tests depending on the clinical finding during examination. For the majority of conditions, treatment is effective in the early stages,” said Dr Wessels.

He explained that for most of the conditions mentioned above, if left untreated, the patient will progressively loose more function of the particular joint, which in some cases can lead to other joints of the body receiving abnormal load and eventually also suffering damage.

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“Many of the causes are treatable and for those that cannot be fully treated or prevented, as is often the case with rheumatoid arthritis, assistance devices are available to assist patients in still being able to function with day to day activities.”

“In severe cases, joint replacement is an option for certain joints like the hip and knees or permanently stiffening a joint to limit pain, known as arthrodesis, which is often done for the ankles,” said Dr Wessels.

Healthy lifestyle

Dr Wessels said it is essential to have an active lifestyle with healthy exercise in moderation to ensure that bones remain strong and healthy.

“Along with that is a healthy balanced diet to ensure that enough calcium, minerals and vitamins are taken in. Some modern food and drinks can be harmful to bone formation, in particular fizzy drinks that contain phosphoric acid as this removes calcium from the body,” he said.

While healthy activity is required to keep joints functional, Dr Wessels said care must be taken not to over-strain joints as this can lead to damage to the cartilage surfaces and eventually to osteoarthritis.

“One way in which strain to specifically the knee joints is caused, is through obesity. Therefore, weight loss for those who are overweight will assist greatly in preventing the development of osteoarthritis of the knees. Another contributor to joint damage is abnormal loads on the joints due to poor posture or poorly designed footwear. Maintain a good posture and wear good quality, comfortable footwear,” he concluded.