Osteoporosis And Osteoarthritis: Are They The Same Or Different?

Don’t let your joints down!

Bones, joints, ligaments, cartilage, and tendons make up the body’s musculoskeletal system, which supports your weight, maintains your posture, and facilitates movement.

You may sit, walk, run, and do a variety of other motions with the aid of this device. The joints are the locations where two or more bones are linked, and the bones give your body structure.

Problems with the musculoskeletal system can be caused by ageing, accidents, illnesses, and congenital abnormalities.

Your musculoskeletal system improves as you try to improve your general health.

What is osteoporosis?

A bone condition called osteoporosis results in bone loss. The bones lose both quantity and quality, making them incredibly fragile and brittle. Osteoporosis patients are more likely to suffer fractures.

Living tissue, bone is continually decomposing and being replaced by new tissue. In osteoporosis, however, the pace of synthesis of new tissue does not correspond to the rate of loss of existing tissue.

Osteoporosis can affect both men and women. The risk of osteoporosis does, however, rise with advancing age and is more prevalent in women.

One of the key risk factors for osteoporosis in women going through menopause is their reduced oestrogen levels. Reduced testosterone levels in men can hasten bone loss.

Symptoms of osteoporosis

Osteoporosis may not show any outward signs at first. In fact, the majority of osteoporosis patients show no symptoms at all.

Only when osteoporosis has damaged your bones may you begin to experience symptoms. These signs include:

• Back discomfort brought on by a vertebral fracture
• A hunched over position caused by a curved spine
• Height decreases with time

How can osteoporosis be avoided?

A good diet and regular exercise are essential for maintaining strong bones. What you should do to avoid osteoporosis is as follows:

Nutrition

• For strong bones, 1000 milligrams of calcium is required daily by both men and women.
• Your body can absorb calcium and develop strong bones with the aid of vitamin D. Embrace a calcium- and vitamin D-rich diet.
• Consume low-fat dairy products, leafy green vegetables, and tofu to obtain your calcium.
• Cod liver oil, salmon, and fortified breakfast cereals are all good sources of vitamin D.

Stay Active

• Exercise regularly makes your bones stronger and reduces bone loss.
• Combine several exercise kinds, such as balancing, weight-bearing, and strength-training.
• Your arms and upper spine’s bones and muscles are strengthened through strength-training workouts.
• The bones in your legs, hips, and lower spine benefit from weight-bearing workouts like running, walking, and jogging. Tai Chi and other balancing activities reduce your chance of falling.

What is osteoarthritis?

The most common kind of arthritis is osteoarthritis. A tissue called cartilage cushions the joint and keeps the bones from rubbing against one another in a joint.

Osteoarthritis develops when the cartilage in a joint wear away, allowing the bones to scrape against one another and resulting in discomfort and restricted joint movement.

There are 240 million symptomatic osteoarthritis cases in people globally. Numerous causes may be involved in osteoarthritis, which affects the whole joint. These include advanced age, weight gain, bone abnormalities, joint traumas, and heredity.

Compared to males, post-menopausal women have a higher risk of developing osteoarthritis in their knees.

Osteoarthritis is more common due to increased oxidative stress in the body caused by several health conditions including diabetes, high lipids and cholesterol.

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition that can worsen over time, causing chronic joint pain and stiffness.

Osteoarthritis symptoms and signs

Osteoarthritis symptoms appear gradually and may get worse with time. Among the most typical signs are:

• Aching joints
• Joint stiffness
• Tenderness
• Loss of flexibility
• Swelling
• Bone crackling

Prevention of osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis may not be entirely preventable, but by avoiding accidents and leading a healthy lifestyle, you can reduce the chances.

• Avoid engaging in any exercise that exerts pressure on your joints or requires you to lift significant amounts of weight, such as jogging and weightlifting. Try cycling and swimming instead, which allow you to manage the stress on your joints.
• Consider going for at least 150 minutes per week of moderate aerobic exercise, such as cycling.
• Never hold the same position for a long period of time and always aim to maintain proper postures.
• Reduce your weight to prevent stress on your joints.

Conclusion

Although osteoporosis and osteoarthritis may sound same, they are two distinct diseases. They share relatively nothing in common other than the word “osteo,” though. Osteoporosis is a bone condition that renders the bones so fragile and brittle that they are physically breakable. Osteoporosis is the root cause of more than 90% of fractures in the spine and hip.

On the other hand, osteoarthritis is a condition of the joints and cartilage in which the cartilage that protects and cushions the bones of a joint wears off, causing the bones to grind against one another and cause pain and suffering.

In general, osteoarthritis causes issues for about 10% of the population. Osteoarthritis and osteoporosis can coexist in the same person.

Both of those conditions damage the bones ultimately but are different. To lower the risk of these problems, precautions can be followed, such as avoiding specific workouts and maintaining a nutritious diet to maintain strong bones for a lifetime.