The human body contains 206 bones. Your bones are living tissues, like any other organ of your body, and continually go through a cycle of repair and renewal. Much like the way you remodel your home, your skeletal structure is reinforced so that it can support your body for your lifetime. Bones have several other functions, they protect your organs while the bone marrow produces blood cells. Bones provide storage for minerals like calcium, and also release the hormone that helps in controlling the glucose level in the blood.
However, over a period of time, your bones will develop a variety of diseases. From a traumatic leg fracture to the gradual development of arthritis of the hands, bone and joint diseases come in many forms.
The common bone diseases are described below:
Osteoporosis
Your bones become brittle and weak due to low density and become prone to break easily. The disease is more prevalent in women than men. The bone density may decrease because the body loses too much of bone tissue. People with osteoporosis may not know that they are suffering from the disease, until a bone fracture is detected during a diagnosis.
Paget’s disease
This bone disease interferes with your normal recycling process. Over time, the bones become fragile and become prone to breakage. The bones in the pelvis, spine and skull are most commonly affected by Paget’s disease. Bisphosphonates are the mainstay treatment for Paget’s disease.
Metatarsalgia
The condition arises when the weight of the body is forced on the center of the central metatarsal bone instead of the outside and inside of the foot. The person will experience persistent pain in the metatarsal region, or ball of the foot.
Fibrous Dysplasia
The bone disorder happens when the fibrous tissue develops in place of the bone. The disease occurs due to an abnormal gene present in one or more bones. As the bone grows, the softer, fibrous tissue expands, weakening the bone in the process. This results in uneven growth, deformity, and brittleness of the affected bones.
Bone cancer
Cancer that originates in bone is rare, affecting less than 1% of the patients with bone cancer disease. Cancer that spreads to the bones from other parts of the body is more common, such as metastatic tumors from breast cancer or prostate cancer. Multiple myeloma is a type of blood cancer that interferes with the functioning of bone marrow.
Gout
This is a common bone disorder in which access uric acid crystals accumulate in the joints, causing abnormal swelling, pain and redness. The big toe is typically swollen in the patients suffering from gout, but other body parts including ankle, foot and knee can also be affected.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
This chronic, immunodeficiency disorder occurs when your immune system mistakenly attacks your body tissue, such as joints in the hands and feet. The disease affects the lining of the joints, causing a painful swelling that can result in joint deformity and bone erosion.