List of Joint Problems

Ankylosing Spondylitis

Ankylosing Spondylitis is a disease of the spine in which there is gradual loss of mobility in the joints between the vertebrae. It occurs mainly in males between the ages of 20 and 40.

Back Pain

Back Pain may be caused by muscular strain or a “slipped disk” or it may be associated with some disease of the bones and joints.

Behcet’s syndrome

Behcet’s syndrome is a disease that involves inflammation of the blood vessels. It causes problems in many parts of the body. The most common symptoms are
Sores in the mouth
Sores on the sex organs
Other skin sores
Swelling of parts of the eye
Pain, swelling and stiffness of the joints

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome is fairly common. Symptoms include numbness, tingling and a burning pain in the hand. The symptoms start off by occurring at night, often waking the patient, later they may also be experienced during the day and in some cases be so severe they can interfere with the normal use of the hand.

Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH)

DISH is a form of too much bone growth along the sides of the vertebrae of the spine
It involves inflammation and bone growth where tendons and ligaments attach to bone, such as the elbows, knees and the heels of the feet.

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS)

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a disorder that affects the connective tissues that support the skin, muscles, tendons and ligaments. People with EDS disorders tend to have loose joints, skin that stretches easily, and a tendency to bruise.

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is the name given to widespread pain affecting the muscles but not the joints. It is a chronic condition, but it is not life-threatening or progressive and does not cause permanent damage to either muscles, bones or joints.

Gonococcal arthritis

Gonococcal arthritis is an infection of the joints, tendons and muscles that occurs in those suffering from gonorrhea. It affects more women than men and usually appears before the age of 30.

Gout

Gout is a chemical defect which causes the accumulation in the bloodstream of a waste product of metabolism also known as uric acid. It is the deposition of crystals of uric acid in the skin, joints and kidneys which is responsible for the symptoms.

Juvenille Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA)

Juvenile arthritis refers to a “childhood arthritis” for children under the age of sixteen affected by inflammatory arthritis. Children can develop almost all types of arthritis that affect adults, but the most common type that affects children is juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is a progressive and potentially serious disease. It can affect nearly every organ in the body. Among the complications that may be seen are inflammation of the membrane lining the heart and the smooth membranous sac enveloping the heart, pleurisy, kidney lesions and disorders of the central nervous system and skin rash.

Lymes Disease

Lyme disease begins by a bite from an insect that is infected by bacterium. The bacterium enters the body and travels to different parts of the body. If untreated, it can progress to produce an infection that involves inflammation affecting joints, the nervous system, the heart and the skin.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative disease of the joints, usually accompanied by pain and stiffness. It causes a great deal of pain and discomfort to a large number of people and affects both males and females alike. The cause of the disease is not known but it is described as a degenerative disorder developing with age.

Osteomalacia

Osteomalacia is a disease affecting mainly adult women, where the bones are generally softened due to the impaired deposition of calcium. It is thought to be caused by lack of vitamin D.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a disease in which the bones are generally thinned. From the age of 20 everyone’s bones become progressively thinner with age. In osteoporosis this thinning becomes faster than normal.

Pagets Disease

Pagets Disease is a disease where areas of bone become thickened and soft and there is an increase in the total number of bone cells. It is quite common in old age especially in men.

Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR)

Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is muscular pains throughout the body starting abruptly in the neck and shoulder muscles and then spreading down the back to the buttocks and the thighs accompanied by stiffness, headache, fever and generally feeling unwell.

Psoriatic Arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a form of joint inflammation affecting individuals with the skin disorder psoriasis. Psoriasis affects 2-3% of the UK population.
Approximately 10-20% of those with psoriasis may develop some form of arthritis.
Joints are typically stiff after resting, early morning or resting in the evening.Tissues such as ligaments, tendons around the joints may be involved.

Raynaud’s phenomenon

Raynaud’s phenomenon is most common in young women. First the fingertips go white and cold, the fingers become numb and may become stiff due to the blood supply being temporarily cut off. The condition may be slight or severe. In severe cases small ulcers may form on the fingertips and the nails may also be affected.

Reactive arthritis

Reactive arthritis is caused by bacteria travelling through the body to the joints between bones. The joints swell and become stiff and painful. It normally affects the joints of the knees, ankles or toes. In extreme cases it can also affect the eyes or skin or muscles.

Repetitive strain injury

Repetitive strain injury (RSI) is used to describe a range of painful conditions of the muscles, tendons and other soft tissues. It is mainly caused by repetitive use of part of the body. It is usually related to a job or occupation, but leisure activities can also be a cause.

Rhematoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the connective tissue of the joints. At the onset there may be a general feeling of being unwell, fatigue, and pain and stiffness in the joints. It usually begins with the joints in the fingers spreading to the wrists and elbows.

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Causes of Joint Pain and Treatment Options

Joint pain can occur for a number of reasons. For many people, it is due to arthritis (joint inflammation), of which there are several types. For others, such as those with fibromyalgia or an underactive thyroid, pain occurs with no underlying inflammation at all. Joint pain may range from a mild ache to a severe, burning or sharp sensation in one or several joints. In some instances, joint pain is associated with other symptoms, like joint swelling and stiffness, overlying red and warm skin, and whole-body symptoms like fatigue, weight loss, or fever.

Causes

Due to the multiple causes of joint pain, it is perhaps best to separate them into two classes— joint pain from arthritis versus joint pain unrelated to arthritis.

Arthritis-Related

Joint pain related to arthritis indicates that inflammation is occurring within the joint space. There are several types of arthritis and their causes differ.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis. OA develops as a result of age-related breakdown of cartilage, which serves as a cushion between the bones of a joint. This type of arthritis tends to affect the knees, hips, neck, lower back, and fingers.The pain of OA, which often progresses from a sharp, intermittent pain to a constant aching, worsens with movement and eases with rest. Joint stiffness and a restricted range of motion are also characteristic of OA joint pain.While classic OA is actually a non-inflammatory arthritis (even though it is still classified as an arthritis), an aggressive sub type of OA, called erosive osteoarthritis, is inflammatory. Erosive OA is most common in postmenopausal women and causes a gradual onset of joint aches, stiffness, and swelling in multiple finger joints.For treatment consult Amri Hospitals Best ortho oncologist in kolkata

Gout

Gout is a type of inflammatory arthritis that occurs in some people with high levels of uric acid in their blood. As the uric acid builds up, it may form crystals in certain joint spaces, like the big toe, ankle, or knee.A classic gout attack refers to a sudden episode of severe, often burning joint pain that usually occurs in one joint (for example, the big toe). The joint pain of a gout attack is often extreme and associated with redness, swelling, and warmth of the joint. Without treatment, the episode will remit on its own, often within a week’s time.The “why” behind gout joint pain is attributed to the rapid, inflammatory response of the body’s immune system to digest the unwanted and foreign crystals.

Pseudogout

Pseudogout, also known as calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease (CPPD), is a type of inflammatory arthritis that occurs as a result of calcium crystal buildup in certain joints, most commonly the knee, wrists, shoulders, ankles, feet, and elbows. Like gout, the pain of an acute pseudogout joint attack is sudden, severe, and associated with other symptoms like joint swelling and warmth. Unlike gout, the attacks of pseudogout may last longer before remitting.

Septic Arthritis

With septic arthritis, a joint becomes infected, most commonly with a bacteria and rarely with a fungus (for example, Candida) or mycobacteria (for example, tuberculosis).Septic arthritis tends to affect a single joint, usually the knee, ankle, wrist, or hip. The affected joint is swollen, warm, and stiff, and a fever is also present. In most cases, septic arthritis is caused by a bacterial infection in the blood that then travels to the joint space. Less commonly, joint surgery or trauma (for example, a tick bite) may be the culprit.

Viral Arthritis

Several different viruses may cause arthritis. The most common ones include hepatitis B and C, parvovirus B19, and alphavirus (viruses transmitted by mosquitoes), such as the Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) found in the Caribbean.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic, autoimmune disease that develops gradually over a period of weeks to months. While the disease predominantly affects the joints, early symptoms may not involve them, but instead include fatigue, muscle pain, low-grade fever, weight loss, and numbness and tingling in the hands.

When the joints become affected, which is a gradual process, small joints on the same side of the body—such as the joints in the fingers and toes—tend to be affected first. Eventually, other joints follow suit like the wrists, elbows, hips, and spine.

In addition to joint pain, stiffness, warmth, redness, and swelling occur. Unlike osteoarthritis, the stiffness of joint pain in RA tends to be worse in the morning (lasting for more than an hour) and improve with movement.

Spondyloarthritis

Spondyloarthritis is a family of inflammatory rheumatic diseases that includes the following four conditions:

• Ankylosing spondylitis (AS): AS is an axial spondyloarthropathy because it affects mainly the back and neck (i.e. spine) and the sacroiliac joints (which connect the spine to the pelvis). The joint pain of AS tends to begin in early adulthood before the age of 45, come on gradually, and improve with activity (similar to rheumatoid arthritis, but the opposite of osteoarthritis). Morning stiffness that lasts longer than 30 minutes is also common in AS.

• Psoriatic arthritis: Up to 30 percent of people with psoriasis—a chronic skin condition characterized by patches of thickened skin covered by silvery scales—have psoriatic arthritis. It most commonly affects the end joints of the fingers and toes, causing a throbbing pain, along with stiffness and swelling. Other symptoms may include swollen fingers and toes that look like sausages and nail problems (for example, pitted nail beds). Interestingly, the severity of a person’s psoriasis does not correlate with the severity of their arthritis—and in about 15 percent of people, joint pain shows up before the psoriasis appears.

• Reactive arthritis: This type is characterized by the development of joint pain and swelling one to four weeks after an infection in the urinary tract, genitals, or intestines. Specific bacterial organisms linked to the development of reactive arthritis include Salmonella, Campylobacter, Shigella, Yersinia, and Chlamydia. Typical joints involved in reactive arthritis are the knee, ankle, and foot

• Arthritis associated with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD): Throbbing joint pain and swelling, especially in larger joints like the knees and hips, may occur in people with inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis). The arthritis tends to be more active when bowel symptoms are flaring.

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Everything you need to know before undergoing an Orthopaedic Surgery

Orthopaedic surgery is a medical treatment performed on the musculoskeletal system. It addresses issues related to the skeleton and its attachments, the ligaments and tendons. Orthopaedists at AMRI Hospitals, one of the best hospitals in Kolkata, explain that the surgery is mainly performed in case of injuries or damages to joints due to other conditions.Surgery can also treat issues related to the nervous system, like the ones that arise from injury to the spine. These issues can be in the form of birth defects or as the result of aging. They can be severe and chronic, too.

What happens during an Orthopaedic surgery?

• Diagnosis of the injury
• Treatment using medication, exercise, casting, surgery or other options
• Recovery process, which includes exercises or physical therapy to restore movement, strength and function. It can require a long period of time
• Precautions to prevent injuries and stop the disease’s progression

Conventional orthopaedic surgeries were based on the use of braces to treat skeletal deformities in children and straighten their bones. Surgeons inserted foreign material in the form of screws, wires, pins, tongs, and prosthetics, into the body to place the damaged bone in perfect alignment or to replace the bone and even the connective tissue.

Orthopaedic hospital in Kolkata state that these surgeries are mainly performed on the ankle, knee, hip, wrist, elbow, shoulder and spine.They are effective in treating various health conditions like:

• Cerebral palsy
• Osteoporosis
• Club foot, knock knees, bow legs, bunions, hammertoes
• Arthritis
• Bone tumours
• Spine disorders (eg: sciatica, scoliosis, ruptured disc)
• Dislocations
• Fractures, sprains, and strains
• Muscle, ligament, and tendon damage

Some of the most common orthopaedic surgeries include:

Arthroscopy: A minimally-invasive surgical procedure, which helps in treating problems occurring inside the joint. It uses special cameras and equipment to visualize, diagnose and treat problems inside a joint

Internal fixation: A procedure,which is based on the surgical implementation of implants for healing a bone. Metal plates are used to hold the broken pieces of the bone in the required position

Osteotomy:A surgical operation, which helps in correcting the bone deformity by cutting and repositioning it. It is also used for straightening a bone that hasn’t healed perfectly after a fracture

Joint replacement: A procedure of orthopaedic surgery,which involves the replacement of an arthritic or dysfunctional joint surface with an orthopaedic prosthesis; it can be partial, complete or revisional

Soft Tissue Repair: An effective surgical procedure, which mends the soft tissue, like torn tendons or ligaments

Risk factors associated with orthopaedic surgeries

• Risk of excessive bleeding or infection
• Allergic reaction to anaesthesia
• Inflammation, where foreign materials (pins, prostheses, or wires) are introduced into the body
• Damage to nerves or to the spinal cord

SOURCE: life-healthy.net

OPHTHALMOLOGY

Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, physiology and diseases of the eye.

All evaluations that purport to diagnose eye disease should be carried out by a physician.  An ophthalmologist is a doctor of medicine who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the eye, in addition to diagnosing systemic disease that manifest in eye signs or symptoms.

Since ophthalmologists perform operations on eyes, they are considered to be both surgical and medical specialists.

In fact, the only health professional trained both medically and surgically to treat eye disorders — especially the most serious eye diseases such as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma — is an ophthalmologist.

Ophthalmologists offer a comprehensive approach to ocular symptoms and disease.  As well as diagnosing and treating ocular disease either by medical or surgical means, ophthalmologists offer comprehensive ocular-visual assessment, which may include the prescription of corrective lenses.

In Canada, graduates of medical school must complete an ophthalmology residency to become an ophthalmologist.  The residency lasts a minimum of five years after the MD degree.

Extensive surgical experience is incorporated into the last 24 months of training to become an ophthalmologist.  Many ophthalmologists continue their training for a further 12-24 months in a variety of subspecialties.

Historically, the practice of ophthalmology has encompassed all aspects of visual function in health and disease, including refraction, orthoptics, binocular vision and strabismus.  Medical and surgical treatment of disease involving the visual system and awareness of ocular manifestations of systemic disease are also an integral part of the practice of ophthalmology.

As a discipline, ophthalmology also applies to animal eyes, since the differences from human practice are surprisingly minor and are related mainly to variations in anatomy or prevalence as opposed to disease processes.

Source :http://www.cos-sco.ca/vision-health-information/what-is-ophthalmology/