Pathological Conditions Affecting Body Alignment and Mobility

Question 1

Congenital defects

Answer 1

• Abnormalities affect the
  efficiency of the
  musculoskeletal system in
  regard to alignment, balance,
  and appearance. Examples:
• Osteogenesis imperfecta—inherited
  disorder. Causes bones to be porous, short,
  bowed, and deformed. As a result, children
  experience curvature of the spine and
  shortness of stature.
• Scoliosis—a structural curvature of the
  spine associated with vertebral rotation.
  Muscles, ligaments, and other soft tissues
  become shortened, affecting balance and
  mobility.

Question 2

Bone, joint, and
muscle
disorders

Answer 2

• Affect integrity of structures.
  Examples:
• Osteoporosis—reduction of bone density or
  mass. The bone remains biochemically normal
  but has difficulty maintaining integrity and support, leading to fractures.

Question 3

Inflammatory joint

diseases

Answer 3

- Cause inflammation or
destruction of the synovial
membrane and articular
cartilage and cause systemic
signs of inflammation.
Examples:
* Arthritis—changes in articular cartilage
combined with overgrowth of bone at the
articular ends. Degenerative changes
commonly affect weight-bearing joints.
* Articular disruption—trauma to the
articular capsules and ranges from mild,
such as a tear resulting in a sprain, to severe,
such as a separation leading to dislocation.

Question 4

Central nervous

system disorder

Answer 4

• Damages part of the central
  nervous system that regulates
  voluntary movement and
  causes impaired body
  alignment and immobility.
  Examples:
• Traumatic head injury—damage in the
  motor strip of the cerebrum. The amount of
  voluntary motor impairment is directly
  related to the amount of destruction of the
  motor strip.
• Spinal cord injury—damage to spinal cord results in loss of function (permanent or
  temporary) below the level of the injury. A patient’s loss of function will depend on
  level of spinal cord affected.

Question 5

Musculoskeletal

trauma

Answer 5

• Results in bruises, contusions, sprains, and/or fractures.
  Examples:
• Bone fracture—simple or complex disruption of
  bone tissue continuity; often creates need for
  temporary immobility of affected body part.

Question 6

Obesity

Answer 6

Obesity impairs an individual’s musculoskeletal health. Association has
been found between obesity and numerous medical conditions, including
osteoarthritis, low back pain, osteoporosis, gait disturbances (placing more
stress on lower extremity joints), and soft tissue problems (e.g., pain in the
neck, shoulder, elbow, and wrist/hand).