Joint pain or arthralgiais a common occurrence in many people. It not only causes inconvenience, but can also be a symptom of many serious diseases. Painful sensations signal that there are obvious violations at the junction of the bones.
In extreme cases, swelling, redness and curvature of the limbs may occur. But these signs do not always appear. More common burning and tingling in the problem area, especially when pressed. And a person may not notice minor restrictions in movements at first and does not complain about them. Sometimes even an x-ray is not able to detect the inflammatory process. But all this does not diminish the importance of joint pain. It can be the "first bell" and a harbinger of severe pathologies and diseases. Even those that are not directly related to the state of the joints.
Statistics show that discomfort in the joints appears in every second inhabitant of the planet who has reached forty or fifty years. And people at the age of seventy in 90% of cases suffer from a similar problem.
Why does joint pain occur?
The reason may be one or more. In any case, it must be clarified in order to correctly diagnose and prescribe adequate treatment.
Age changes
One of the causes of joint pain is old age. The older a person becomes, the thinner the cartilage tissue. It becomes not so elastic, so the movements are difficult, the person feels stiffness.
The amount of synovial fluid decreases. It is she who is the lubricant between the joints, which allows them to slide freely. The lack of this fluid causes the cartilage to rub against each other and wear out quickly. If nothing is done, then this problem can develop into osteoarthritis or other similar diseases.
The process can be accelerated due to excessive physical exertion or, conversely, a sedentary lifestyle. Sedentary work, a weak muscle frame, poor nutrition - all this only aggravates the situation. The peak of painful sensations falls on the off-season, subsiding in summer and winter.
Physical exercise
A high level of physical activity can be another cause of joint pain. It is noteworthy that in this case they appear at a young age. The musculoskeletal system is equally negatively affected by intensive training and exhausting physical labor. Therefore, professional athletes, as well as people of such professions as loaders, builders, masons, are at risk.
Such intense loads can not only cause injury, but also disrupt blood circulation in the synovial fluid and the membrane around the cartilage. The nutrition of the tissue deteriorates, the possibility of its regeneration disappears.
Diseases
Certain diseases cause great damage to the joints. For example, it can be rheumatic processes. If a person suffers from them, then the peak of aching in the joints falls in the morning. By evening, the pain subsides. It is distributed unevenly. The most affected are the small joints in the feet and hands. In the morning, discomfort and stiffness are so strong that a person loses the ability to move quickly and walks with difficulty.
For others, joint pain can be caused by a disease of the musculoskeletal system, which is inflammatory in nature. But with proper treatment, over time, the discomfort goes away. The infection can also cause aches in the joints and throughout the body. But in this case, the mobility remains the same. After a couple of days, the pain will subside. The presence of a chronic infection in the body can bring them back again.
In addition to the above reasons, joint pain can occur due to:
weather conditions when a person has meteorological dependence;
long-term use of certain types of drugs;
consequences of allergic reactions;
psychosomatic disorders.
Unpleasant sensations may disappear on their own if the cause of joint pain has been resolved. But this does not always happen. Sometimes additional treatment is required to eliminate it.
Types of pain
Joint pain can vary in several characteristics. These are their character, origin, duration, frequency, and so on. Different diseases are characterized by joint pain with different characteristics.
According to the duration and time, pain sensations are divided into 4 types:
Night.They are also called stagnant. During sleep, the pain in the joints becomes worse. This is due to the fact that the synovial fluid stagnates in the joint due to the fact that the body is not moving. The damaged head of the joint during sleep is not supported in the usual position, as the muscles relax. Therefore, unpleasant sensations begin to grow;
Mechanical. They appear during strenuous sports or hard physical labor. Their peak is in the evening. After sleep, unpleasant sensations disappear or are significantly reduced;
Starting.The most common type. Many people are familiar with such painful sensations, but often simply do not pay attention to them. They appear at the beginning of the movement, after the body was in a stationary state. As soon as the joint "paces", the discomfort disappears;
Reflected.They are a consequence of diseases of the internal organs. It also happens after pregnancy and childbirth.
Aches in the joints are divided into two types according to the nature of its damage. The first includes inflammatory, the cause of which may be a transferred infectious or autoimmune disease, an allergic reaction. Manifested in the form of edema and swelling in the articulation area. At the same time, the skin turns red, and the body temperature in the inflamed location rises. If such symptoms are absent, but painful sensations make themselves felt, then their origin is non-inflammatory.
Distinguish pain in the joints and localization. They may be:
Monoarticular.When only one joint hurts;
Oligoarticular. Two to four joints are affected;
Polyarticular.More than five joints are subject to pain.
The localization of this problem can also be different. Generalized joint pain, which is also called diffuse, occurs in several places at the same time and can "migrate". If discomfort occurs in a particular joint and does not pass to others, then this is localized pain.
The nature of arthralgia also depends on the disease from which the person suffers. Rheumatic diseases are accompanied by nocturnal pains. Unpleasant sensations arise in several joints at once. They can move from one joint to another. Degenerative-dystrophic lesions are characterized by initial and mechanical pains. Infectious diseases entail discomfort in almost all joints of the body.
Diagnostics
It is possible to establish the cause of aches in the joints if a complete and thorough examination of the patient is carried out. To do this, you should first contact a therapist who, after a consultation, will decide which specialized doctor can help in a particular situation. This may be an orthopedist, rheumatologist, surgeon or other specialist.
Diagnostics includes:
a detailed study of the anamnesis in order to identify the relationship of aches in the joints with diseases, injuries, lifestyle features and medication;
visual examination, which allows you to assess the condition of the joints and skin;
determination of the nature and degree of pain;
blood biochemistry to identify possible inflammation;
an x-ray that allows you to see the condition of the cartilage and bones;
densitometry, which will show data on the density of tissues;
puncture of the joint fluid, which allows you to examine it for possible deviations from the norm.
The doctor can prescribe any other tests and studies that, in his opinion, can help make a complete picture of the disease.
What joint diseases can cause pain
Joint pain can occur for a variety of reasons. Often it becomes an injury or a long stay in places with low temperature or high humidity. If it is not possible to find the cause of discomfort, then it is often a harbinger of serious health problems. There are a number of diseases in which joint pain is one of the first symptoms.
Deforming arthrosis
Refers to chronic diseases. It is characterized by the fact that it incapacitates cartilage and destroys their tissues. Most often, people who have reached the age of fifty suffer from deforming arthrosis.
The disease most often manifests itself in the hands, joints of the pelvis and hips, knees and feet. At the same time, sensations are characterized as dull and aching pain, aching joints. It aggravates after intense physical exertion. At the same time, pain in the knees can be constant, even when there is no movement. Discomfort manifests itself in different ways. This can happen daily or intermittently.
Rheumatoid arthritis
Another chronic disease that affects the connective tissue. At risk are the elderly, those who are obese, as well as the representatives of the beautiful half of humanity (regardless of age).
Rheumatoid arthritis is characterized by:
Constant, but unexpressed aches in the joints;
Disorders in the work of the limbs. The disease affects the joints of the fingers, knees, ankles, elbows and wrists. Pain may be present in the thigh, and there are "lumbago" in the leg;
Symmetrical lesions of body parts. The disease rarely develops in only one joint;
Redness in the affected area, swelling and local temperature increase. In a neglected case, deformation of the joints occurs;
Weight loss, spleen problems.
Gout
It is a hereditary disease that can also cause joint pain. It is characterized by a metabolic disorder, due to which uric acid salts are deposited in the joints. To a greater extent, the male population suffers from gout.
The main signs of the disease are:
It affects the toes, mostly large, as well as the ankles, elbows, wrists, knees;
The pain is characterized as sharp and sharp. May last several days;
In places of damage, the skin turns red, flakes, edema appears;
In some cases, the disease has a detrimental effect on the kidneys and heart.
Osteoarthritis
In this case, cartilage tissue is affected, but there is no inflammatory process. Osteoarthritis can occur in young people, but it is most common in older people.
It affects the joints of the hips, pelvis and knees. At the same time, there is stiffness and crunch in the joints. Symptoms worsen after physical exertion, swelling and fever may join.
Reactive arthritis
An inflammatory process that provokes processes in the organs of the gastrointestinal tract or the genitourinary system. Young people from twenty to forty years old suffer from the disease.
The manifestations of reactive arthritis include acute pain in the joints, especially when they move, swelling, hyperthermia of the skin.
How to get rid of joint pain
Regardless of what the cause was the impetus for the onset of pain in the joints, medications are included in the treatment. First of all, doctors advise starting with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. But provided that there are no contraindications to their use. They are diseases of the stomach or poor blood clotting. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can reduce swelling, reduce fever, and slow down the inflammatory process.
In addition, the doctor may prescribe medications to dilate blood vessels. They will increase blood circulation in the localization of the problem, which will speed up recovery. Muscle relaxants may be prescribed, but only for a short period of time and if the muscles around the joint are spasmodic.
Steroids and hormone therapy also help with joint pain. They are effective for severe pain, as well as severe inflammation. They are prescribed in the form of injections into the area of the affected cartilage, if other medicines do not give the necessary results.
Another component of the treatment of joint pain are chondroprotectors. Most often, the active substance in them is glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate. These substances are part of the fluid surrounding the cartilage. One of the most effective drugs in this segment is a remedy that allows not only to eliminate pain, but also stops the destruction of cartilage, restores the integrity of the joints and fights age-related changes in them. The drug is produced in the form of a powder, which must be dissolved in water. It tastes good and contains a daily dose of glucosamine. Does not cause allergic reactions and has a minimum of contraindications.
In addition to injections, powders and tablets, creams and ointments are used to treat joint pain. They also contain active substances that contribute to the restoration of cartilage tissue.
Remember that only one tenth of the active substance can get under the skin from an ointment or cream. Therefore, such drugs cannot replace injections and oral medications, which are most effective.
One of the cardinal methods of treating joint pain is surgery. The operation is prescribed only in severe cases of the disease, when all of the above remedies no longer work. Surgical interventions also include a puncture, during which the doctor "pumps out" the inflamed fluid or injects drugs into the joint for treatment. With the help of an endoscope, it is possible to remove already dead tissues, as well as to sanitize the cavity with the help of medicinal solutions.
Periarticular osteotomy is one of the traumatic operations for the treatment of joint pain. It is prescribed to those patients who, for various reasons, cannot make prosthetics. During the operation, the surgeon files the bones and splices them in such a way that there is less stress on the joint in the future.
Endoprosthetics is an effective treatment for joint pain when all other methods no longer work. It involves a complete replacement of the affected joint with a prosthesis.
More gentle methods of treating joint pain, but no less effective in some cases, are:
Physiotherapy, including shock wave therapy. It is based on electrical impulses that are created by cavitation and accelerate blood flow in the foci of inflammation. Bone and cartilage tissues recover faster, salt deposits decrease;
Myostimulation, which can relax the muscles around the joints, as well as make them more mobile. The procedure relieves pain and reduces the load on the damaged joint;
Phonophoresis involves a combination of treatment with ultrasonic waves with drug injections.
In the process of rehabilitation after the treatment of pain in the joints, kinesitherapy, taping, various types of massages and physiotherapy exercises are used. In some cases, consultations of a psychotherapist are connected.
To avoid aching joints in the future, their health must be taken care of in advance. Proper nutrition, taking vitamins and dietary supplements, an active lifestyle and the absence of bad habits will be the best prevention of joint pain.