Cartilage, a type of connective tissue, is made of cells called chondrocytes and the material these cells secrete. According to Professor Bruce Babiarz, Rutgers University, the relatively stiff structure of cartilage plays a very important role in...
Testing urine gives a clear indication of the health of the kidneys and the urinary tract. Spun down, concentrated urine can be viewed under a microscope, and certain types of cells isolated. Some types of cells found in urine are perfectly...
Lifting weights has a number of well-documented benefits, including increased strength and muscle size, greater muscular endurance, improved bone mass, and increased muscle mass. You can, however, have too much of a good thing. The National...
Protein serves as the basic structural molecule of all tissues in your body. Approximately one quarter of all the protein in your body is collagen. Collagen is the main protein found in connective tissue. Cartilage is one type of connective tissue...
Osteoarthritis is a wear-and-tear condition that affects mainly the weight-bearing joints of the hips and knees and is also common in the shoulders. Wherever two or more bones meet, a substance called hyaline cartilage covers the bone-ends to...
Of the six different types of joint action, one is joint rotation, in which the joint rotates about an axis. A good example of a joint rotation is when you move your arm in a large circle, either forward or back; the joint that is rotating is the...
Most people have some sediment in their urine. Whether this is normal depends upon what is in the sediment and how much sediment is present. Sediment in urine consists of cells, debris and other solid material. When a patient provides a urine...
Arthritis can affect any joint in the human body. When it affects the larger, weight-bearing joints of the hips and knees, significant changes in activity level and lifestyle can occur. Arthritis of the hips can begin as a mild ache or soreness,...
Knee-joint pain can be a tremendous aggravation and, if it becomes severe enough, can substantially affect your ability to move about and may even alter your quality of life. Knee-joint pain can be caused by many factors, ranging from injury to...
Injuries due to exercise and wear-and-tear can affect hyaline, or articular, cartilage, causing swelling, pain and stiffness. The resulting discomfort makes you acutely aware of how important it is for getting around. The two other types of...
Bronchopulmonary dysplasia is a chronic lung disease that appears in premature infants, who have received high levels of oxygen, shortly after birth. These infants are usually born with a lack of surfactant, which predisposes the lungs to...
Congenital diseases are the result of faulty or mutated DNA causing problems that often appear very early in life. Genetic mutations in the genes that are responsible for making muscles can lead to congenital neuromuscular disease. These...
The main ingredient in Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate, which has several uses in the body. Magnesium is a naturally occurring mineral that helps the body maintain it's muscles and nerves. Magnesium sulfate is also effective as a laxative...
The brain is able to control the actions of skeletal (voluntary) and smooth (involuntary) muscles by sending signals that stimulate muscles to contract or relax. Genetic neuromuscular disorders disrupt this system. Some of these disorders are...
The Children's Hospital Boston describes a joint as the point where two bones meet. Components of joints include a sheet of tissue called the synovial membrane, which seals the joint and encompasses synovial fluid; ligaments, which encompass the...
The joints, or articulations, of the body allow a range of movement and mobility. There are a variety of joints in the body such as diarthrodial or synovial joints, ball and socket joints, hinge joints and fibrous joints. Each joint is composed of...
Walking and running on a treadmill offer numerous benefits including improved aerobic fitness, muscular endurance in the lower body, and, if combined with a reduced calorie diet, weight loss. Treadmills offer a safe and effective alternative to...
In the human body, a joint is any area where two or more bones contact each other. The joints, or articulations, connect the skeletal bones together and help the body move. There are three classes of joints in the body. Some move freely, others...
Far infrared saunas differ from traditional saunas in that they heat your body directly instead of heating the air around you. This means that, for many people, infrared saunas are more comfortable to use as the temperature within the sauna...
The knee joint is the largest joint in the human body, and it is the most complex and most often injured joint. The knee joint is a synovial, single-axis, hinge joint. This means it has a synovial membrane that secretes synovial fluid, lubricating...
The medical term for fluid in the knee is called effusion. It describes the presence of, usually, an abnormally large amount of fluid within a joint, typically, but not limited to, the knee. Joints in the body are nourished to a large extent by...
According to the U.S.. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 32 percent of all Americans 20 years of age and older have been diagnosed with hypertension as of 2006. This has resulted in a total of 40.5 million visits to doctors' offices,...
Uterine fibroids, which are also called uterine leiomyomas, are non-cancerous tumors that arise in the smooth muscle of the wall of the uterus, cervix or ovary. Fibroids are the most common type of tumor that develop in the female reproductive...
The human wrist is a complex joint that must move in many directions to accomplish both gross, or large, motions as well as fine activities. Because of the complexity of the joint, complications from a broken wrist can result in functional...
The human skeletal system is a multifunctional marvel of biology. It not only provides the framework by which all practical movement is made possible, but protects the organs from injury and bears the weight of your body 24 hours a day. The bones...
Found in skin, eyes, cartilage and joints, hyaluronic acid acts as both a structural support and as a lubricant. Many companies sell hyaluronic acid nutritional supplements claiming to help rebuild cartilage and relieve arthritis symptoms....
In the human body, joints are the crucial skeletal elements that allow movement to take place. Joints are located at the site where two bones meet. The types of joints in the human body are classified by the level of movement they enable and...
Cortisone is the lay term for an injectable substance that has properties almost identical to the naturally occurring steroid produced by the adrenal glands within our bodies, typically activated during periods of intense stress, injury or...
Arthritis can be a crippling, painful condition that affects the cartilage that covers the joint surfaces at the ends of the bones. Smooth hyaline cartilage surfaces erode and ultimately expose underlying bone, causing pain, inflammation and, in...
