Bone & Joint Conditions

Recently Answered

• QWhat makes a synovial joint move smoothly?

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  A Jumo Health answered

  There are three things that make a synovial joint move smoothly: the capsule, the synovial membrane and the cartilage. All the parts work together to make the bones slide over each other easily instead of banging and rubbing.

  • The capsule’s job is to hold the bones in the right positions so the joint can move properly.
  • Synovial joints have synovial membranes that make fluid. Synovial fluid makes it easier for the joints to move.
  • Cartilage covers the ends of the bones and cushions them like a shock absorber. This means the joints can handle impact.
• QWhat happens when there's bleeding in the joints?

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  A Jumo Health answered

  Bleeding in joints, like the knee, means that blood builds up, causing problems. When this happens, it can at first feel like a tingle. As the blood builds up, the joint swells, feels warm, and starts to hurt, which can make it difficult and painful to move around.

• QWhy do my ankles pop?

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  A Dr. Paul J. Switaj, MD , Orthopedic Surgery, answered on behalf of Reston Hospital Center

  

  That ankle popping can be quite concerning. Watch this video with Paul Switaj, MD, from Reston Hospital Center to learn what causes random popping in the joints.

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• QIs knee replacement the only option if I have bone on bone in my knee?

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  A Dr. Kareem G. Sobky, MD , Orthopedic Surgery, answered on behalf of Presbyterian/St. Luke's Medical Center

  Knee replacement surgery is the last option to be considered, but with bone-on-bone arthritis that causes severe knee pain and limitation, it typically is the only long term solution. Prior to replacement surgery, you should try low impact aerobic exercise, activity modification, acetaminophen, ibuprofen or naproxen, weight loss and steroid injections.

• QWhy is there a popping sound when a joint is adjusted?

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  A American Chiropractic Association answered

  Adjustment (or manipulation) of a joint may result in the release of a gas bubble between the joints, which makes a popping sound. The same thing occurs when you “crack” your knuckles. The noise is caused by the change of pressure within the joint, which results in gas bubbles being released. There is usually minimal, if any, discomfort involved. 
• QWhat can cause hip problems?

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  A Dr. Thomas B. Fleeter, MD , Orthopedic Surgery, answered on behalf of Reston Hospital Center

  

  General activities don’t hurt the hip. Thomas Fleeter, MD from Reston Hospital Center discusses certain lifestyles that are more prone to hip problems.

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• QWhat is the difference between edema and effusion?

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  A National Athletic Trainers' Association answered

  Edema is swelling that occurs outside a joint. Effusion is swelling within a joint.
  
  (This answer provided for NATA by the Gustavus Adolphus College Athletic Training Education Program.)
• QHow do tight or stiff muscles affect my joints?

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  A Dr. Grant Cooper, MD , Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, answered

  A tight or contracted muscle cannot adequately protect the joint from the stresses of daily life, and it can also cause damage by exerting a constant force on the joint, pulling it out of alignment and forcing parts of the joint to bear weight it wasn't meant to take. The tight muscle also changes your body posture, placing increasing loads on multiple joints. For example, if your hip flexors are tight (which is very common) your pelvis and spine are constantly being pulled forward, increasing stress. When the pelvis and spine are pulled forward, the muscles attaching to the back of them (particularly the lower back muscles) are stretched and forced to work much harder to pull the spine back into alignment. Because the hip flexors are the strongest muscles in the body, the lower back muscles eventually fatigue, stretch, and may become inflamed. While this tug of war is going on between your muscles, tendons, and ligaments, the joints of your pelvis and spine are out of proper position. Their individual components, which include the sacroiliac joint, discs of the spine, and small posterior facet joints of the spine, also are pulled out of position and forced to redistribute the load of the body weight in a suboptimal manner.

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• QWhat causes my legs and feet to swell?

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  A Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD , Cardiology (Cardiovascular Disease), answered

  If you've suddenly found yourself shopping for wider or larger shoes, you may want to take a better look at the reasons why. If your shoes no longer fit, this could be a sign of edema, a swelling of the feet, ankles and legs caused by excess fluid trapped in your body's tissues. This may present itself as what people more commonly recognize as "cankles," or calf-ankles.
  
  Mild cases can be caused by sitting or staying in one position for too long, or consuming too much salt. However, in more serious cases, edema can be an indicator of something more serious: heart failure (the heart loses its ability to pump blood effectively and blood backs up in your legs); severe liver disease (compromised liver function causes changes in the way your body regulates fluids); or kidney disease (when the kidneys can not eliminate enough fluid and sodium from your blood).

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• QWhat is the neck's range of motion?

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  A National Athletic Trainers' Association answered

  The neck moves in all three planes of motion. Flexion and extension happen in the frontal plane. Rotation happens in the transverse plane, and lateral flexion takes place in the sagittal plane.
  
  (This answer provided for NATA by the University of Alabama Athletic Training Education Program.)