Joints are the connection points between two or more bones.
They’re made up of bone as well as soft tissues like ligaments, cartilage, and tendons.
All joints help hold your bones together, and most allow you to move in different ways.
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A hinge joint, like your knee, allows you to move back and forth.
This article discusses the different types of joints and their anatomy.
It also discusses how they move and the conditions that can affect them.
How Many Joints Are in the Human Body?
You are are born with about 300 bones.
As you grow, some of these bones fuse together.
By the time you reach adulthood, you have 206 bones.A humanadultbody has 360 joints.
These all play a role in providing structure and protection for the joint.
Sometimes it’s due to a health condition, like arthritis or lupus.
In other cases, it’s brought on by injury due to a sudden impact or repetitive stress.
The following are just some of the examples of conditions and injuries that can affect your joints.
Arthritis Conditions
Arthritisis one of the most common conditions to affect the joints.
With arthritis, there is swelling and inflammation in your joints.
There are more than 100 different kinds of arthritis that affect your joints and the tissues around them.
Some of the most common types of arthritis areosteoarthritis,rheumatoid arthritis, andgout.
If all of the cartilage wears away, the bones will rub against each other.
It particularly affects joints that bear weight regularly.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis, by contrast, is anautoimmune disease.The immune system attacks healthy tissues unnecessarily.
It is also an inflammatory jot down of arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis can develop at any age and affect any joint in your body.
It typically involves the wrists, knuckles, and the middle joints of the fingers.
Gout usually attacks joints in the big toes, heels, ankles, fingers, wrists, and elbows.
It can lead to chronic inflammation that includes joint stiffness and pain.
Its symptoms include dry eyes and dry mouth, but it also causes joint pain.
Bursitis
Bursitis happens when the bursae become irritated and inflamed.
Sprains or Strains
Sprains are stretched or torn ligaments around the joint.
Strains are stretched or torn muscles or tendons, which could be from a sudden injury or from overuse.
Improving Your Joint Health
There are a number of ways tokeep your joints healthy.
Summary
Your joints hold your bones together and allow you to move.
Some joints are fixed, some allow slight movement, and others are freely moving.
Some diseases, conditions, and injuries can affect your joints, causing symptoms like pain and stiffness.
Ask your doctor about ways to help manage your pain and other symptoms.
They can help you find ways to do daily activities and increase your quality of life.
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