Affects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis, and Muscular Distrophy Essay

Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis are both diseases of the bone. Osteoporosis actually means â€Å"porous bones† and is a problem with bones where there isn’t enough calcium in them to give them strength. This is because the bone cells aren’t being reproduced as fast as the bone is aging or deteriorating which causes the bones to become fragile. This can happen because of loss of calcium in the bone, or a problem with the calcium being absorbed correctly, which it needs in order to build new bone tissue and complete the remodeling cycle. Even if the bone has enough, other parts of your body may not and will start taking calcium away from your bones. Osteoarthritis occurs when smooth cartilage around a bone gets worn down and no longer allows smooth gliding between the bones which cause bone to bone contact. The cartilage is meant to be there to reduce friction so when it is worn away it can also cause pain. It is caused by an inflammation of the joints and is the most common type of arthritis. It is most likely due to aging or rather, a lot of continuous use. Muscular atrophy happens when the blood supply and amount of muscle fibers decreases which can cause the muscle to deteriorate. It can be cause by either disorders, lack of use, or injury. If there is an injury to the nerves that make the muscles move, then they will eventually deteriorate just as they would if a person stopped using their muscles as much. Lack of exercise, poor nutrition, nervous system problems, and disabilities can all cause muscular atrophy. For an 84-year-old small boned, white female, this can cause challenges of everyday life. With osteoporosis, she will have weak and fragile bones. For example, if she bumped into something or fell down, her bones could easily break so she would need to be extra careful when getting around. With osteoarthritis, she may be experiencing a lot of pain since most of or all of her cartilage has worn away causing her to feel the friction of the bone on bone contact. This would make it harder for her to walk and exercise. Lastly, the muscular atrophy would make her very weak since her muscles can’t function the way they are supposed to because of lack of strength. Lifting, pulling, walking, and any normal chore for her would be a very big challenge.