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Digital osteoarthritis relates to primarily the distal interphalangeal (DIP) and first carpometacarpal (CMC-I) joints. Heberden's nodes often accompany osteoarthritis of the DIP joints. Osteoarthritis of the PIP joints can be more painful and more inflammatory. It can be at the origin of Bouchard's nodes. The DIP and the PIP joints can be the seat of erosive lesions. Osteoarthritis of the MCP joints is rare. Osteoarthritis of the CMC-I joint is sometimes at the origin of a deformity of the thumb impairing its function and an atrophy of the thenar muscles. Treatment includes non-pharmacological and pharmacological modalities. Surgery is proposed after failure of the conservative approach.

We report the observations of two women with a recurrent periarthritis of the hip complicated by a spontaneous rupture of the tendons of the gluteus medius and minimus. These patients usually complain from an acute lateral hip pain and show a Trendelenburg gait. When the rupture is complete, clinical evaluation reveals a drop of the pelvis on the non-stance side and resisted rotation starting from the extreme external rotation position is weak. MRI plays a key role in the diagnosis and the evaluation of a possible surgical repair. Hip rotator-cuff rupture is probably insufficiently diagnosed by ignorance. Nonetheless, optimized handling could relieve the pain of most these patients and improve the disability of some of them.

Until recently, treatment of osteoarthritis targeted the pain and the disability of the involved joints. It consisted in a mix of analgesics, anti-inflammatory drugs, steroid infiltrations and physical therapies. Usefulness of slow but long acting substances is increasing not only by their action on the symptoms but also because they positively influence the evolution of the disease. Some of them seem to induce a structural effect on the cartilage confirmed by a slow down of the joint space narrowing on successive radiographs of the knees. Presently, only basic matricial precursors such as chondroitin sulfate, glucosamine sulfate and hyaluronic acid are available in the clinic. They act by reducing cartilage destruction and enhancing chondrocyte anabolism. These preliminary results should be confirmed by further studies based on magnetic resonance imaging and surrogate markers of the cartilage matrix. Recent developments in the understanding of the physiopathology of osteoarthritis, including the key role of some cytokines, should allow new therapic ways, individually or in combination.

Postmenopausal osteoporosis is a major challenge in Medicine. From a simple 10 points questionnaire allowing the detection of the main risks of the disease, different treatment options, based on mineral density, are now available. Treatment should be adapted to age and way of life of the patient.