Diabetes is an overwhelming disease. You'd think it only affects your major organs such as your heart, kidneys and eyes. But it damages the integrity of other parts of your poor body particularly your muscles, bones and joints. Over time, damage to your skeletal and muscle system and their surrounding connective tissues such as ligaments and tendons cause frailty, deformities and disability.
Nerve damage as a consequence of diabetic neuropathy with concomitant arterial disease and obesity contribute to the increased risk of different bone, muscle and joint disorders.
Here are some muscle, joint and bone complications of diabetes.
1. Charcot (shahr-KO) Joint
Have you felt a tingling sensation in your foot? There's even a total loss of sensation. The joint weakens because the nerve supplying it is damaged due to high levels of blood sugar. Charcot joint affects the feet most of the time. The joint becomes swollen, unstable and deformed.
This easily progresses into deformity and instability. When this happens, you'll need to have your joints supported using braces. Worse, it will limit your mobility and you'll need a cane or a walker to move about. However, when this is detected early, you don't need to end up disabled. To prevent this from happening, you should limit weight bearing activities and use orthotic devices such as braces to support the affected joint and its surrounding structures. Lose excess weight if you're heavy. Most importantly, be vigilant in controlling your blood glucose levels.
2. Cheiroarthropathy
Another diabetic complication affects the skin and the muscles of the hand termed diabetic hand syndrome or cheiroarthropathy. You'll experience the skin on your hands gradually thicken and look waxy. Then your fingers would contract and movement would be limited. You may feel that you can't extend your fingers and press your palms together flat.
Anti-inflammatory medications can help. Physical therapy such as stretching exercises can slow the progression of this complication. It is not clear what causes this diabetic complication. Since this is all too common among people with a long standing history of diabetes with uncontrolled blood sugar, it is imperative to control your blood glucose levels.
3. Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis results in bone weakness. The bones turn brittle and they easily fracture. Surprisingly, this bone disease is seen more among type 1 diabetics. Early symptoms are mild as to be discernible and over time the disorder results into a stooped posture when the spinal column is affected plus frequent bone fractures and loss of height.
Exercise is very important to prevent osteoporosis including a well balance diet rich in calcium and vitamin D. Soak up the sun for your vitamin D requirements. When the sun is shy you can get Vitamin D from supplements. Calcium can be taken as a supplement too. However, cardiovascular diseases are increased with calcium supplements. You can source out calcium from vegetables and low fat dairy.
4. Osteoarthritis
You might be surprised that osteoarthritis is a complication of diabetes too. The joint cartilage wears out and the joint is exposed to each other's bony surfaces. Then, you'll have swollen joints, pain and inflammation, stiffness and limitation of movement. It can affect any joint in the body. It was discovered that type 2 diabetics have a higher risk of osteoarthritis. But health experts say it can be traced more to obesity rather than the diabetes itself. Type 2 diabetes is associated with obesity. Obesity overloads the joints and damages its cartilages.
Prevent this condition by losing those excess pounds. Anti-inflammatory drugs, resting the affected joint, massage and acupuncture can help ease the pain.
5. Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal Hyperostosis or DISH
This complication affects the tendons and ligaments, supporting structures of the skeletal and muscle systems. It is also called Forestier disease. The tendons and ligaments harden. Consequently, pain, stiffness and limitation of movement occur. The ligaments and tendons of the spine are commonly affected and will results into back or neck stiffness. This occurs among type 2 diabetics. It is thought that insulin or insulin-like growth factors of diabetics promote abnormal bone growth.
Pain relievers can ease the pain. If the stiffness is severe, surgery is needed to excise the excess bone that has grown.
5. Dupuytren Contracture
Are your fingers bent toward the palm? It looks like a claw. This happens when connective tissue in the palm of the hands and fingers thickens then scars. As it scars it contracts and pulls the fingers into a claw like position. Consequently, you won't be able to extend your fingers.
Treatment involves corticosteroid injections to reduce the inflammation. Surgery will cut off the contractures and is done when your fingers can't grasp objects.
6. Frozen Shoulder
Are your shoulder limited by pain and motion? You can't raise your hand above you head and if you do so, there's pain! Thankfully, it affects only one shoulder. The cause is usually unknown. But you're more at risk if you're diabetic.
If seen earlier, aggressive physical therapy can restore mobility plus pain and anti-inflammatory medications. If this doesn't work surgery will be done to cut off the ligaments to improve motion.
Muscle, skeletal and connecting tissues that surround the bones such as ligament and tendons are complications of diabetes. They may seem mild as compared with heart, eye and kidney complications but it results to weakness, frailty and disability; and lose your independence. It is always advised that once you're diagnosed with diabetes watch your blood glucose levels like a hawk. Manage your levels well through compliance with your oral or insulin medications, exercise, losing excess pounds and adapting healthy eating habits. Blood glucose testing helps you to manage your levels. Have your A1C test every 2 to 3 to know your average blood glucose level and see if diabetic management is working.
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