Nanoparticles (NPs) show great promise as tools for designing formulations capable of meeting the challenge of targeted and non-targeted drug delivery to bone and cartilage tissue. NPs can also be employed to deliver regenerative materials, growth factors, and genes to bone and cartilage. Furthermore, the application of nanomaterials in tissue engineering has permitted scaffold preparation for delivery of growth factors, genes, and other agents required for bone and cartilage regeneration. The application of nanotechnology to different areas of medicine such as cancer therapy, drug delivery, nano-biosensing, and tissue engineering has recently generated a notable impact on diagnostics and treatments. Orthopedic applications of nanotechnology include drug delivery, surface modification of implants and prosthesis, tissue engineering for bone and cartilage regeneration, and novel diagnostics. Osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and osteoporosis (OSP) are the three most common chronic orthopedic diseases. In this review, we discuss the application of nanotechnology in the diagnosis and treatment of OA, RA, and OSP. We also evaluate the limitations associated with existing treatments, as well as those related to drug delivery to orthopedic tissues. Display omitted