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Health & Nutrition
Osteoporosis and Arthritis: Two Common but Different Conditions
Many people confuse osteoporosis and some types of arthritis. In
osteoporosis, there is a loss of bone tissue or mass that causes bones to become
fragile and break, especially the hips, spine, and wrist. Osteoporosis is a
silent disease that can be prevented. However, it can progress for many years
without symptoms until a fracture occurs.
Arthritis is a general term for conditions that affect the
joints and surrounding tissues. Joints are places in the body where bones come
together, such as the knee, wrist, fingers, toes, and hips. The two most common
types of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis:
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a painful, degenerative joint
disease that often involves the hips, knees, neck, lower back, or the small
joints of the hands. OA usually develops in joints that are injured by repeated
overuse in the performance of a particular job or a favorite sport or from
carrying around excess body weight. Eventually this injury or repeated impact
thins or wears away the cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones in the
joint so that the bones rub together, causing a grating sensation. Joint
flexibility is reduced, bony spurs develop, and the joint swells. Usually, the
first symptom a person has with OA is pain that worsens following exercise or
immobility. Treatment usually includes analgesics, topical creams, or
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (known as NSAIDs); appropriate
exercises or physical therapy; joint splinting; or joint replacement surgery for
seriously damaged larger joints, such as the knee or hip.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune inflammatory
disease that usually involves the hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders, knees, feet,
or ankles. An autoimmune disease is one in which the body releases enzymes that
attack its own healthy tissues. In RA, these enzymes destroy the linings of
joints causing pain, swelling, stiffness, deformity, and reduced movement and
function. People with RA also may have systemic symptoms, such as fatigue,
fever, weight loss, eye inflammation, anemia, subcutaneous nodules (bumps under
the skin), or pleurisy (a lung inflammation).
While osteoporosis and osteoarthritis are two very different
medical conditions with little in common, the similarity of their names causes
great confusion. These conditions develop differently, have different symptoms,
are diagnosed differently, and are treated differently. While it is possible to
have both osteoporosis and arthritis, studies show that people with
osteoarthritis are less likely to develop osteoporosis. On the other hand,
people with rheumatoid arthritis may be more likely to develop osteoporosis,
especially as a secondary condition from medications used to treat RA.
Osteoporosis and arthritis do share many coping strategies. With
either or both conditions, people benefit from exercise programs that may
include physical therapy and rehabilitation. In general, exercises that
emphasize stretching, strengthening, posture, and range of motion are
appropriate, such as low impact aerobics, swimming, tai chi, and low stress
yoga. However, people with osteoporosis must take care to avoid activities that
include bending forward from the waist, twisting the spine, or lifting heavy
weights. People with arthritis must compensate for limited movement in arthritic
joints. Always check with your physician to determine if a certain exercise
or exercise program is safe for your specific medical situation.
Everyone with arthritis will use pain management strategies at
some time. This is not always true for people with osteoporosis. Usually, people
with osteoporosis need pain relief when they are recovering from a fracture. In
cases of severe osteoporosis with multiple spine fractures, pain control also
may become part of daily life. Regardless of the cause, pain management
strategies are similar for people with osteoporosis, OA, and RA.
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