Akin to approaches encouraged by Verano (1997) in the Andes, and Ortner (2011, 2012) for general paleopathological studies, this article focuses on accurate descriptions and definitions of osteoarthritis, entheses, and long bone cross-sectional geometry. By evaluating these conditions as part of biological responses to abnormal skeletal changes and biomechanical stress, this research discusses each condition’s pathogenesis. Further, this article emphasizes a “small data” approach to evaluating these conditions in ancient culturally and biologically related human populations, where the study samples must have good skeletal preservation, where estimates of age and sex need to be included as major factors, and where abnormalities need to be described and evaluated. This article also discusses global clinical and osteological research on ways scholars are currently trying to establish industry-wide methods to evaluate osteoarthritis, entheses, and long bone cross-sectional geometry. Recent studies have focused on rigorous evaluation of methodological techniques, recording protocols, and inter- and intra-observer error problems. Additionally, scholars have focused on physical intensity of movement using biomechanics, evaluated burials of known occupation, and used complex statistical methods to help interpret skeletal changes associated with these conditions. This article also narrows to focus on these conditions within thematic “small data” areas throughout the Andes. This research concludes with describing future directions to understand skeletal changes, such as more multidisciplinary studies between osteologists and pathologists, collaborations with living people to collect CT, x-rays, or computer-aided motion capture, and a stronger focus on how these conditions correlate with intense biomechanical changes in younger individuals.

类似于安第斯山脉中Verano（1997）和Ortner（2011，2012）所倡导的一般古病理学研究方法，本文着重于对骨关节炎，骨骼和长骨横断面几何形状的准确描述和定义。通过评估这些条件，作为对异常骨骼变化和生物力学应力的生物学反应的一部分，本研究讨论了每种条件的发病机理。此外，本文强调了一种“小数据”方法，用于评估古代与文化和生物学有关的人口中的这些状况，其中研究样本必须具有良好的骨骼保存，其中年龄和性别的估算必须作为主要因素，以及异常需要描述和评估。本文还讨论了有关全球临床和骨科学的研究方法，这些方法是学者们目前正在尝试建立行业范围内的方法来评估骨关节炎，骨骼和长骨横截面几何形状的方法。最近的研究集中在对方法技术，记录协议以及观察者之间和观察者内部错误问题的严格评估上。此外，学者们致力于利用生物力学研究身体的运动强度，评估已知职业的墓葬，并使用复杂的统计方法来帮助解释与这些情况相关的骨骼变化。本文还缩小范围，将重点放在整个安第斯山脉主题“小数据”区域内的这些条件上。这项研究的结论是描述未来的方向，以了解骨骼变化，