Joint Disorders
Source: MedlinePlus Health Topics, U.S. National Library of Medicine
What are joints? 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: 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. What types of joint disorders happen from sudden injuries? Joint disorders from sudden injuries include: Sprains and strains . Sprains are stretched