Are osteoarthritis and osteoporosis the same thing?
No. Although they both contain the term ‘osteo’, which means bone, they are quite different conditions. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease and involves deterioration of the joint surfaces (the cartilage covering the ends of the bones), leading to pain and stiffness in the joints. Osteoporosis involves thinning of the bone itself, making it weak, brittle and more likely to fracture.
