Health Library
Conditions & Symptoms A–Z
Plain-language explanations of 60 conditions we treat at SIMS — written the way a consultant would explain them across the desk. Each entry sets out the symptoms, the point at which you should stop waiting, the tests usually advised and how the condition is treated here.
Browse the A–Z
Bones & Joints
Choose a system below to narrow the list to that body system.
Showing 7 of 60 conditions
Bones & Joints (7)
Slipped Disc and Sciatica
A slipped or prolapsed disc occurs when the soft cushion between two spinal bones bulges and presses on a nerve. When the nerve to the leg is affected, the pain runs from the lower back into the buttock and down the leg — this is sciatica.
Knee Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis of the knee is wear and thinning of the smooth cartilage inside the joint, so that bone rubs against bone. It is the commonest reason older adults in this district stop walking to the market, the fields or the temple.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the body's own immune system attacks the lining of joints, causing pain, swelling and, if untreated, permanent deformity. Early treatment changes the long-term outcome dramatically.
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is thinning of the bone that makes it fragile enough to break after a minor fall or even a cough. It is silent until the first fracture, and it is particularly common in women after menopause and in older adults with poor sun exposure and low calcium intake.
Fracture
A fracture is a break in a bone, most often after a road traffic accident, a fall or a farm or workplace injury. Correct early handling — immobilise, do not massage, come straight in — has a large effect on how well the bone and the limb recover.
Frozen Shoulder
Frozen shoulder is progressive pain and stiffness of the shoulder joint caused by thickening and tightening of the capsule around it. It is markedly more common in people with diabetes, and it improves with patience and physiotherapy rather than with rest.
Gout
Gout is a form of arthritis caused by uric acid crystals settling in a joint, producing sudden intense pain most often in the big toe. Attacks settle within days but return, and repeated attacks damage the joint permanently.
These pages describe conditions in general terms. They cannot tell you what is wrong with you, and self-diagnosis delays treatment far more often than it speeds it up. For chest pain, stroke symptoms, breathing difficulty, serious injury, seizures or heavy bleeding, call 108 or come straight to the emergency department.
Found the condition but not the answer?
Every entry links to the department that treats it. Book a consultation and a specialist will tell you which parts of it apply to your case.