Diseases and Conditions of the Skeletal System

Scoliosis

Abnormal curvature of the spine. If your child has scoliosis, the view from behind may reveal one or more abnormal curves.Scoliosis runs in families, but doctors often don't know the cause. More girls than boys have severe scoliosis. Adult scoliosis may be a worsening of a condition that began in childhood, but wasn't diagnosed or treated. In other cases, scoliosis may result from a degenerative joint condition in the spine.

Carpal tunnel syndrome

Any condition that causes swelling or a change in position of the tissue within the carpal tunnel that squeezes and irritates the median nerve, resulting in tingling and numbness of the thumb, index, and the middle fingers

Spina Bifida

Birth defect that involves the incomplete development of the spinal cord or its coverings, occurs at the end of the first month of pregnancy when the two sides of the embryo's spine fail to join together, leaving an open area; in some cases, the spinal cord or other membranes may push through this opening in the back, usually detected before a baby is born and treated right away

Myeloma

Cancer in which abnormal cells collect in the bone marrow and form tumors, Sometimes abnormal cells (called myeloma cells) collect in only one bone and form a single tumor known as a plasmacytoma; in most cases, the myeloma cells collect in many bones, forming several tumors and causing other problems

Leukemia

Cancer of the blood cells that starts in the bone marrow, the soft tissue inside most bones; bone marrow starts to make a lot of abnormal white blood cells called leukemia cells that don't do the work of normal white blood cells (fight infection), they grow faster than normal cells, and they don't stop growing when they should

Clubfoot (Talipes Equinovarus)

Deformity of the whole foot that is present at birth, several types that are jointly known as 'talipes,' as the deformity is mostly in the talus (a bone in the ankle), child is born with the foot pointing down and twisted inwards at the ankle

Pott's Disease (Tuberculosis of the Spine)

Form of extrapulmonary tuberculosis that impacts the spine, a sort of arthritis for the vertebrae that make up the spinal column, more properly known as tuberculosis spondylitis, often experienced as a local phenomenon that begins in the thoracic section of the spinal column, early signs generally begin with back pain that may seem to be due to simple muscle strain, symptoms multiply (named after Dr. Percivall Pott, an eighteenth century surgeon who was considered an authority in issues related to the back and spine)

Poliomyelitis (Polio)

Highly infectious disease caused by a virus that enters the body through the mouth, multiplies in the intestine, and invades the nervous system (can spread widely before cases of paralysis are seen); can cause total paralysis in a matter of hours, can strike at any age but affects mainly children under three; initial symptoms are fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck, pain in the limbs; 1/200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis (usually in the legs), amongst those paralysed, 5%-10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized, fewer than 1% of infections ever result in paralysis, after initial infection with poliovirus, the virus is shed intermittently in feces for several weeks, can spread rapidly through the community

Scurvy

Human body lacks the ability to synthesize and make vitamin C and therefore depends on exogenous dietary sources to meet vitamin C needs. Consumption of fruits and vegetables or diets fortified with vitamin C are essential to avoid ascorbic acid deficiency. is uncommon but still occurs and can affect adults and children who have chronic dietary vitamin C deficiency

Bursitis

Inflammation of the bursa (fluid filled sac surrounding the joint) from injury, infection (rare in the shoulder), or due to an underlying rheumatic condition, typically identified by localized pain or swelling, tenderness, and pain with motion of the tissues in the affected area

Osteoporosis

Means "porous bones," skeletal disease affecting women and men in which bones have lost minerals especially calcium, making them weaker, more brittle, and susceptible to fractures (broken bones), can affect any bone but the most common places where fractures occur are the back (spine), hips, and wrists

Osteosarcoma

Most common type of bone cancer that arises in bone and is most commonly found in children and adolescents, rare form occurs in adults, particularly in patients who have been cured of other cancers with radiation therapy

Tendonitis

Normal smooth gliding motion of tendons become inflamed for a variety of reasons, and the action of pulling the muscle becomes painful and irritating, most common cause is overuse.

Lordosis

Normal spine when viewed from behind; appears straight, but shows evidence of a curvature of the back bones (vertebrae) in the lower back area, giving the child a "swayback" appearance

Gout

Results from an overload of uric acid in the body, leads to the formation of tiny crystals of urate that deposit in tissues of the body, especially the joints, crystals cause recurring attacks of joint inflammation (arthritis), can also lead to deposits of hard lumps of uric acid in and around the joints and may cause joint destruction, decreased kidney function, and kidney stones

Acromegaly

Serious condition that occurs when the body produces too much of the hormones that control growth (hormone most often affected is the growth hormone, or GH, which promotes growth of bone, cartilage, muscle, organs, and other tissues), produced by the pituitary gland, a tiny organ at the base of the brain; when there is too much growth hormone in the body, these tissues grow larger than normal, causing serious disease and even premature death

Rickets

Softening and weakening of bones in children, usually because of an extreme and prolonged vitamin D deficiency, some skeletal deformities may need corrective surgery

Kyphosis

Spine may look normal or it may develop a hump, can affect children, adolescents, and adults, can occur as a result of developmental problems, degenerative diseases (ie arthritis), osteoporosis, or trauma

(Rheumatoid) Arthritis

Usually affects joints symmetrically (on both sides equally), may initially begin in a couple of joints only, and most frequently attacks the wrists, hands, elbows, shoulders, knees and ankles