What is osteoporosis or osteoporosis?

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Osteoarthritis is one of the most common causes of joint pain and one of the most common rheumatic diseases. It is a form of rheumatism in which the thickness and quality of the cartilage in the joints deteriorates. Contrary to popular belief, you can get the disease at any age.

Also read: 9 facts about osteoporosis

What is osteoporosis?

The ends of the bones are held together by an articular capsule and ligaments. Inside the joint capsule is lined with a mucous membrane, the synovial membrane. The synovium makes synovial fluid that lubricates the joint. Ligaments, along with muscles, provide joint rigidity.

In osteoarthritis, the thickness and quality of the cartilage decreases: it becomes thinner and softer, it can split, become coarse and begin to crumble. Damaged cartilage does not regenerate. Eventually, the cartilage may disappear completely.

Because there is less cartilage, the joint is less able to absorb the shocks of movement. The ends of the bones also move less smoothly and smoothly. The bone tries to absorb this larger load by becoming somewhat wider. Pointy bony bumps (osteophytes) may appear at the edge of the bone.

Loss of cartilage, bone rubbing, and osteophytes cause pain. It’s also possible for cartilage particles to end up in the joint cavity. This can cause inflammation of the mucous layer under the joint capsule (synovium) and fluid secretion. The joint becomes warm, thick due to moisture, and hard.

Also read: Osteoarthritis: Symptoms and Diagnosis

How does osteoporosis develop?

Despite a lot of research, the exact cause of osteoporosis is not known. It is likely to be a combination of various factors, such as predisposition, heredity in some disorders, build of a joint, load on the joint due to posture (eg knees) or work posture, weight gain, aging process, joint injury, etc.

Usually no direct cause can be found Primary osteoporosis.

bee Secondary osteoporosis An obvious cause can be identified. It often involves damage to the articular cartilage due to a fracture or surgery, a genetic defect in the joint, inflammation or inflammation in the joint (eg due to rheumatoid arthritis), damage to the meniscus, or weakness in the ligaments. Secondary osteoarthritis can also be caused by abnormal loading of the joint.

Read also: Osteoporosis: treatment

risk factors

• Age: The risk of developing osteoarthritis increases with age.
• Gender: Women are statistically twice as likely to develop osteoporosis as men, although it is not clear why this is. Many women develop osteoporosis, especially after menopause.
• Heredity: Osteoporosis is more common in one family than in another. Genetic predisposition plays a role in the development and exacerbation of osteoporosis. If genetic predispositions play a role, you often get it at a younger age and in several joints. Hip osteoarthritis can be caused by a genetic predisposition that causes poor formation of the hip joint (eg hip dysplasia). Excessive flexibility of the joints, the difference in leg length … can also lead to premature cartilage breakdown.
• Joint injuries: Injuries such as sports or accidental injuries can increase the risk of osteoporosis. An injury in which cartilage is damaged (such as a meniscus injury in the knee) increases the risk of developing osteoporosis later in life.
• Being overweight: Due to the constant added stress on weight-bearing joints (such as the knees and hips), people who are obese are at a higher risk of developing osteoporosis.
• Excessive load or joint overload: A heavy, prolonged load on the joints can play a role in the development of arthritis. Osteoarthritis of the knee, for example, is more common in occupations with heavy physical stress, such as kneeling, squatting, and lifting heavy objects. Hand arthritis can result from long-term hard manual labor. On the contrary, research has shown that immobilizing the joint accelerates the breakdown of the articular cartilage. We can compare the meniscus to a sponge. By uniform pressure on the sponge, nutrients are fed to the joint and the sponge remains supple. If it doesn’t, the sponge will dry out. Even if the load is too heavy, the sponge will break. So the trick is to find a balance between overload and underload.
• Other joint diseases: gout, arthritis (eg rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis or septic arthritis) and Paget’s disease increase the risk of osteoporosis.

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