Joint pain: symptoms, causes and treatments
Joint pain or inflammation is commonly known as arthritis. Joint pain can make it hard for you to make body movements.
Know more about the causes, symptoms, and medications for joint pain. Addressing factors associated with joint pain will help you take effective steps to reduce pain and relieve symptoms. This article explains various sensors related to joint pain and provides all the necessary information.
What are Common causes of Joint pain?
There are many causes of joint pain. Injuries and other symptoms may cause joint pain. Below are the most common reasons:
Injured:
Injuries such as sprains and strains can be severe or chronic, such as broken bones. These develop due to wear and tear from the joint or an injury in the most active individuals. Injuries can affect joints and can cause pain and unpleasant symptoms during movement.
Arthritis:
Arthritis covers more than one hundred forms, but the most common are osteoarthritis, also called OA or degenerative – arthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis, called RA.
Osteoarthritis (OA):
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease due to the wearing out of cartilage in the joint. As a result, older patients with this disease suffer from joint stiffness and experience pain.
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA):
RA is an immune-mediated condition characterized by the invasion of the immune system on the healthy tissues of the human body, affecting the joints and causing pain.
Viral Infections:
Certain viruses can cause complications, such as hepatitis C, which causes joint pain. Such viral infections can lead to rheumatoid arthritis, which worsens your pain.
Gout:
Gout is generated by the precipitation of uric acid within the joint clefts. This leads to short, intense inflammation of the joints, and in many cases, it begins in the large toe. Certain foods and lifestyles usually precipitate it.
Septic Arthritis:
Septic arthritis arises from a bacterial joint infection, which results in inflammation and cartilage erosion. Treat this condition before it worsens.
Lupus:
Lupus is an ongoing immune disorder that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body tissues and affects the joints and other parts of the body.
Overuse:
Repeated movements and pressure on the chosen joints may cause joint soreness. This is most noticeable in people who make repetitive movements, such as typing on the keyboard or lifting some objects.
Symptoms of Joint Pain
People who suffer from joint pain experience other symptoms depending on the cause of the problem. Key symptoms to look out for include:
- Swelling: Inflammation around the joint is typical and can arise from arthritis or an injury.
- Stiffness: Another critical feature of the disease is joint stiffness after developing the inflammatory process, particularly when a patient has been restrained or inactive for a long time.
- Redness and Warmth: These are usually symptoms of joint inflammation or infection.
- Limited Mobility: Mobility is affected by joint pains, limiting movement such as walking or bending over.
- Fatigue: Joint pain, commonly seen in conditions such as RA and lupus, tends to result in overall joint discomfort and tiredness.
How Is Joint Pain Diagnosed?
Common symptoms that need a doctor's intervention in identifying the source of joint pain include medical history, physical assessment, and tests. Below are the steps a healthcare provider may take:
Medical History:
Asking your medical history is the first step the doctor will take, where they will likely ask you questions. The questions asked will be: When did you start experiencing the pain? Did you get the pain from an injury that you may have been involved in, or are you aware that there are individuals in your family who have records of joint diseases?
Physical Examination:
A physical examination enables the doctor to assess whether the affected joint is swollen or red or if the range of motion is problematic.
Laboratory Tests:
Lab tests may include blood tests showing inflammation or autoimmune disorders. Blood tests help discover RA or lupus, including rheumatoid factor and C-reactive protein.
Imaging:
These imaging procedures can capture joint problems, ranging from cartilage injury to fractures or infection.
5 Useful Therapy Strategies for Joint Discomfort
There are many ways to address joint pain; most of the time, a combination of medical treatment and home remedies can help. Here are five standard treatment options:
- Medications: Acute and chronic joint pain management, including nonprescription medicines such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen for mild to moderate joint pain. For more severe cases, doctors may prescribe:
- Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs): These drugs help to reduce pain, swelling, redness, and fever, as they are effective in treating mild to moderate pain.
- Corticosteroids: Some doctors even inject corticosteroids into the joint area as they provide instant relief from inflammation.
- Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDs): DMARDs help quell disease processes affecting joints for autoimmune diseases like RA.
Physical Therapy:
A physical therapist can advise on creating a regimen that builds up the joint and surrounding muscles and enables better flexibility and motion. This is valuable in cases of joint pain caused by injury or arthritis.
Surgery:
In some situations where you have not responded to other conventional treatments, you may be advised to undergo surgery, including replacement of the joint or arthroscopic surgery. This is often done for those with severe OA or injury-caused damages not amenable to other forms of treatment.
Home Remedies:
Many individuals find relief from joint pain by using simple home remedies, such as:
- RICE Method: Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation are helpful treatments to help decrease swelling and pain after an injury.
- Topical Ointments: Certain medical creams can also significantly reduce joint pain through capsaicin, desensitizing that body part.
- Heat and Cold Therapy: Percussion, hot and cold packs, Heatherton, and immobilization techniques help decrease inflammatory response and stiffness.
- Lifestyle Changes: Weight control, inactivity, and joint stress are the other factors that should be included in that list to prevent joint pain. Strenuous exercises are not always advisable; everyday exercises such as swimming or walking exert a tolerant amount of pressure on the joints.
When to See a Doctor
Although most cases of joint pain do not require medical intervention, the following situations call for the services of a doctor. You should see a doctor if:
- The joint pain is not relieved by rest in the case of minor aches that occur in one or two joints and last more than three days.
- The joint has a rapid onset of oedema, redness or heat.
- They have pain along with fever or some other symptoms of infection.
- Substantial limitations in the extent of motion or joint use are seen.
Summary
Arthralgia is a form of joint pain and may be caused by arthritis, injuries or infections. The early signs should, therefore, be identified and continually checked, and when observed, an individual should seek medical attention. Treatments include drugs, exercise, natural remedies and changes to the daily routine. In severe cases, surgery and extremely strict control over their diets may be called for. If you know a little about your condition and try to cooperate with your doctor, it is possible to reduce pain and partially restore joint movements.
