The most basic feature of a joint is that it is located at the point where two bones meet. The second important element is the presence of joint ligaments that do not allow the two bones to separate during movement. Muscles and tendons complete the structure.
Our bones, which form the skeleton of our body, are connected to each other with three different joint types. The first of these is fixed joints that do not allow movement. We do not normally feel the existence of these joints, like the joints of our skull bones.
Feeling the presence of some immobile joints such as the sacro-iliac joint, where the sacrum and ileum bones that make up the hip structure, are painfully felt usually indicates an orthopedic or rheumatic problem.
Our other joints are more or less mobile. There is a wide range of joints, from very little mobile joints, such as those between the bones that form the main roof of our feet, to fully mobile joints, such as our shoulder joints. In the middle of this spectrum are semi-mobile spinal joints.
The most basic feature of a joint is that it is located at the point where two bones meet. The second important element is the presence of peripheral structures that allow the movement of the two bones but do not allow them to move away or separate. These structures are known as articular ligaments.
Joint ligaments consist of a flexible but tight and solid tissue. These structures are not found in fixed joints, but these tissues are the second main component of all more or less mobile joints, excluding bones.
The third main component of the joint is the muscles and tendons. Muscles are usually attached to the side of one of the two bones that make up the joint, closest to the joint, while the other is connected to the side far from the joint. As the muscles contract, the distance between the free sides of the two bones shortens and the joint moves. Synchronous work of opposing muscle groups makes the movement of the joint balanced and controlled.
The bones must be tightly connected to prevent them from slipping on the joint during this strong movement of the joint.
This attachment should also not restrict the movement of the joint. As we stated, joint ligaments are flexible and durable tissues that enable the joint to be clamped tightly. At the same time, they are the structures that are most used among the joint components and are most exposed to wear and tear due to movement and the force of movement.
Another group of wear areas in the joints are the places where the muscles meet the bones, that is, where the tendons or muscle tendons come and stick to the bone. When we consider the force that activates the joint, these components are the areas most exposed to the effect of this force. The junction areas of bones and muscles and joint ligaments and bones are called entheses in medicine.
Another wear and tear in the joints is the forehead cartilage surfaces. With excessive use, as in the shoulder, or exposure to excessive weight, as in the knee, cartilage surfaces wear out and subsequently become calcified. In this case, our movements are restricted by pain and we often hear friction sounds due to the decrease in the slipperiness of the surfaces during movement.
The main purpose of prolotherapy treatments is to ensure the faithful reconstruction of these wear areas called enthesis, joint ligaments weakened by wear and tear, and cartilage surfaces that become thin and calcified and lose their slipperiness.