Educational Content: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a healthcare provider for diagnosis and treatment.
Definition of Diabetic musculoskeletal disorder
Medically reviewed by Min Clinic Staff | Updated: January 2026
Diabetic musculoskeletal disorder: A musculoskeletal problem associated with diabetes mellitus.
These include:
- Diabetic syndrome of limited joint mobility (cheiroarthropathy) -- a syndrome characterized by thickening of the skin over the joints.
- Diabetic stiff hand syndrome -- thickening of the skin of the palm that results in loss of ability to hold the hands straight.
- Adhesive capsulitis -- severe limitation of the range of motion of the shoulder due to scarring around the shoulder joint. Also called a "frozen shoulder."
- Neuropathic joints (below the knee) -- destruction, increased density, dislocation, debris, distension, and disorganization of joints due to diabetic neuropathy, nerve damage caused by diabetes.
- Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis -- general overgrowth of bone of unknown cause.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome and other nerve entrapment syndromes
- Flexor tenosynovitis -- inflammation of the extensor pollicis longus tendon on the side of the wrist at the base of the thumb, typically associated with pain when the thumb is folded across the palm and the fingers are flexed over the thumb.
- Dupuytren contracture -- formation of scar tissue in the palm over the tendons that pull the fingers.
- Diabetic amyotrophy -- acute neuropathy of a large proximal nerve.