Bone is an unusual form of living tissue comprised of both mineral and organic elements – chiefly calcium and collagen. It forms the basis for your skeleton, which protects your soft tissues and organs, while at the same time providing the structure you need to stand upright and move around. Like other parts of your body, bones are subject to illness and injury. Prominent medical conditions affecting bone include fractures, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, rickets, Paget’s disease, osteogenesis imperfecta, fibrous dysplasia, autoimmune disorders, and various cancers. Causes of these conditions vary, and include infections, physical injury, poor health habits, and hereditary and environmental factors. Modern medicine has made considerable strides in treating bone conditions, depending on the type and severity of illness.

Some possible indicators of a bone condition are:

• Back pain

• Bone pain

• Feelings of fatigue or weakness

• Fractures

• Infection

• Strains and sprains

Some bone diseases, such as osteoporosis, can develop symptom-free. Conditions like these may not be detected until a broken bone reveals a weakened skeletal structure.