Not only heart, diabetes can damage joints too

While most people understand the increased risk of heart disease, kidney damage and stroke due to diabetes, not many are aware that diabetic conditions can also perpetuate permanent joint damage and resultant joint pain.

"Many people view diabetes as just a disease of blood sugar imbalance, but diabetes can also damage joints and destroy an individual's quality of life. It is an auto-immune condition that has a series of serious repercussions on the body and its various organs," said Dr Maninder Shah Singh, Senior Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Chief, Foot and Ankle Unit, Coordinator Sports Injury Unit, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre.

Doctors say that Diabetes affects the musco-skeletal system in multiple ways. Most common complications of the joints in diabetic patients arise out of nerve damage or neuropathy, a common complication of diabetes.

According to a paper published in Clinical Diabetes, a journal of the American Diabetes Association, diabetic cheiroarthropathy or diabetic stiff hand syndrome or limited joint mobility syndrome, is found in 8–50 per cent of all patients with type 1 diabetes and is also seen in type 2 diabetic patients. While Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) caused due to compression of the median nerve is seen in up to 20 per cent of diabetic patients, Adhesive capsulitis or frozen shoulder is reported in an estimated 19 per cent of diabetic patients.

Doctors say that a commonly associated condition with diabetes, nerve damage, is responsible for many other complications such as loss of nerve function leads to numbness in the affected area.

"Uncontrolled or unmanaged diabetes often leads to nerve damage in patients. Diabetic nerve damage often causes a joint to break down. It results in multiple complications including frozen shoulder, stiff hands, limited joint mobility, carpal tunnel syndrome, Charcot joint and neuropathic arthropathy," said Dr R K Pandey, Senior Consultant Orthopedics, Venkateshwar Hospital.

"All these conditions involve painful and stiff joints with limited mobility. Most of these conditions occur in individuals who fail to make the necessary lifestyle changes to prevent these conditions. Lack of awareness is the main cause," he said.

Doctors associate yet another condition with diabetes called as Charcot Joint or neuropathic arthropathy is a condition which involves severe, destructive generation of the affected joints most commonly found in the pedal bones. This is caused by loss of sensation which leads to repeated and unnoticed injuries in the joints.

"Patients who walk on numb feet often suffer from injuries of the ligaments which they do not even notice since they do not have any sensation in that area. Trauma to ligaments can put excessive pressure on the joints which eventually causes wear and tear as well as deformities," Dr Singh said.

Diabetes expert have said that educating people about managing diabetes with overall fitness is very important to reduce diabetic complications such as joint damage and bone deformities as well as kidney damage. According to International Diabetes Federation, there were 69.1 million cases of diabetes in India in 2015 with 1,027,911 annual deaths due to the condition. The prevalence of diabetes in adults (20-79 years of age) is as high as 8.7 per cent.