Musculoskeletal conditions

Musculoskeletal Conditions

Plate 10 from Anatomie du Gladiateur

The musculoskeletal system, comprised of the body's bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, and other connective tissue, plays a critical role in human movement, support, and protection. However, it can be afflicted by a variety of conditions that can impact function, mobility, and quality of life. This article provides an overview of the most prevalent musculoskeletal conditions, their causes, symptoms, and potential treatments.

Anatomy of the Musculoskeletal System

The musculoskeletal system provides the framework for our body, enabling movement, offering protection to vital organs, and serving as the primary site for hematopoiesis (blood cell production). It is subdivided into:

• Bones
• Muscles
• Tendons
• Ligaments
• Joints
• Cartilage
• Other connective tissues

Common Musculoskeletal Conditions

Various conditions can afflict the musculoskeletal system. These conditions can be congenital, degenerative, inflammatory, neoplastic, or traumatic in nature.

Congenital and Developmental Disorders

• Osteogenesis imperfecta: A genetic disorder characterized by fragile bones.
• Developmental dysplasia of the hip: A hip socket that doesn't fully cover the ball portion of the upper thighbone.
• Scoliosis: A sideways curvature of the spine that occurs most often during the growth spurt just before puberty.

Degenerative Diseases

• Osteoarthritis: The most common form of arthritis, it's a chronic joint condition that affects mostly middle-aged and older adults.
• Degenerative disc disease: Changes in the discs of the spine causing pain and potential mobility issues.

Inflammatory and Autoimmune Diseases

• Rheumatoid arthritis: A chronic inflammatory disorder affecting many joints, including those in the hands and feet.
• Ankylosing spondylitis: An inflammatory arthritis affecting the spine and large joints.
• Polymyositis: A type of muscle disease characterized by inflammation and weakness.

Neoplastic Disorders

• Osteosarcoma: A type of bone cancer that most often affects the long bones.
• Ewing's sarcoma: A rare type of cancer that affects the bones or the soft tissue around the bones.

Traumatic Injuries

• Fractures: Breaks or cracks in the bones.
• Rotator cuff tears: Injuries to the group of muscles and tendons that surround the shoulder joint.
• Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury: A tear or sprain of the ACL in the knee.

Other Common Conditions

• Fibromyalgia: A disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain.
• Tendinitis: Inflammation or irritation of a tendon.
• Bursitis: Inflammation of the bursa, a small sac filled with lubricating fluid, located between tissues such as bone, muscle, tendons, and skin.

List of Musculoskeletal Conditions and Disorders

Musculoskeletal conditions encompass a wide range of ailments and disorders, from common injuries to rare syndromes. They can affect any component of the musculoskeletal system and may arise due to genetic factors, injuries, repetitive actions, or underlying diseases.

• Musculoskeletal disorder: General disorders affecting the bones, muscles, and joints.
• Musculoskeletal injury: Any trauma or damage to the musculoskeletal system.
• Abdominal musculature absent with microphthalmia and joint laxity
• Achard syndrome
• Acropachy
• Attenuated patella alta
• Baker's cyst: A fluid-filled cyst behind the knee.
• Bone cyst
• Bone disease
• Calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystal deposition disease
• Cervical spinal stenosis
• Cervical spine disorder
• Condylar resorption
• Copenhagen disease
• Costochondritis: Inflammation of the cartilage in the rib cage.
• Crossed beak
• Dead arm syndrome
• Dentomandibular sensorimotor dysfunction
• Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis
• Disarticulation
• Dolichostenomelia
• Du Bois sign
• Emacs pinky: A condition from repetitive keyboard use.
• Enthesopathy: A disorder involving the attachment of ligaments and tendons to bones.
• Enthesophyte
• FACES syndrome
• Foot drop: Inability to raise the front part of the foot due to nerve injury.
• Giant-cell tumor of the tendon sheath
• Grisel's syndrome
• Hanhart syndrome
• Hill–Sachs lesion
• Injection fibrosis
• Ischemia-reperfusion injury of the appendicular musculoskeletal system
• Jersey finger
• Joint effusion: The accumulation of fluid in the joint.
• Knee effusion
• Knee pain
• Lumbar disc disease
• Malgaigne's bulge
• Mallet finger: Injury to the outermost joint of a finger.
• Melorheostosis
• Meromelia
• Microtrauma
• Myelonecrosis
• Neuromechanics of idiopathic scoliosis
• Osteolysis
• Peroneal nerve paralysis
• Physical therapy in carpal tunnel syndrome
• Pigmented villonodular synovitis
• Piriformis syndrome
• Posterior tibial tendon dysfunction
• Potassium-aggravated myotonia
• Primary spine practitioner
• Pseudoathletic appearance
• Pseudohypertrophy
• Quadriga phenomenon
• Radial tunnel syndrome
• Radicular pain
• List of repetitive strain injury software
• Repetitive strain injury
• Saber shin
• Sacroiliac joint dysfunction
• Seal finger
• Sever's disease
• Shoulder problem
• Snapping hip syndrome
• Spinal decompression
• Spinal enthesopathy
• Spondyloarthropathy
• Sternal cleft
• Subungual exostosis
• Synovial sarcoma
• Tailor's bunion
• Temporomandibular joint dysfunction
• Tenosynovial giant cell tumor
• Tension myositis syndrome
• Tietze syndrome
• Traumatic spondylopathy
• Trismus pseudocamptodactyly syndrome
• Ulnar nerve entrapment
• Ulnar tunnel syndrome
• Unequal leg length
• Unicameral bone cyst
• Video game–related health problems
• Winged scapula

Diagnosis and Treatment

The diagnosis of musculoskeletal conditions often requires a combination of clinical examination, radiological studies such as X-rays, MRIs, or CT scans, and occasionally, laboratory tests. Treatment can vary widely based on the specific condition and may include:

• Physical therapy
• Medications
• Surgical interventions
• Lifestyle modifications
• Alternative therapies such as acupuncture or chiropractic care.

References

1. Kumar V, Abbas AK, Aster JC. Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease. Elsevier Health Sciences; 2014.
2. Canale ST, Beaty JH. Campbell's Operative Orthopaedics. Elsevier Health Sciences; 2012.
3. Hochberg MC, Silman AJ, Smolen JS, Weinblatt ME, Weisman MH. Rheumatology. Mosby; 2014.
4. Hochberg MC, Silman AJ, Smolen JS, Weinblatt ME, Weisman MH. Rheumatology. Mosby; 2014.