Causes of severe joint pain.What to do if your joints hurt.
Joint pain
Joint pain (or otherwise called - arthralgia) is an important symptom in the diagnosis of many diseases.He was the first to say that serious changes had begun at the junction of the bones.Joint pain is not always accompanied by swelling, curvature, severe pain when touched, or redness.The patient also does not complain about significant restrictions in the mobility of large joints.It also happens that even an X-ray examination does not allow signs of inflammation to be seen.But this does not make joint pain an innocent symptom: it can signal severe organic lesions and even pathologies unrelated to the state of the joint itself.
As statistics show, sharp pain in the joints of the arms and legs begins to bother every second person over the age of 40-50.In people who have passed the 70-year mark, diseases of the musculoskeletal system are more common - in 90% of cases.
Causes of joint pain
Age-related changes
Possible causes of pain include age-related changes in the joints: cartilage tissue becomes thinner and loses elasticity, which causes pain and stiffness of movement.There is also less production of synovial fluid, which fills the "capsule" around the bone junction and lubricates the joint.
As a result, the articular surfaces may begin to come into contact and the joint may begin to wear.Without proper cartilage protection and support, osteoarthritis and other diseases that accompany acute pain can develop.The process of age-related changes in the joints is aggravated by poor nutrition, poor muscle tone, previous injuries, a sedentary lifestyle or, conversely, excessive physical activity.It should be noted that discomfort in the joints due to age factors often increases in autumn and spring.
Physical activity
Increased physical activity can be considered an independent cause, where even young people can experience pain or acute pain in the joints.Intense training at the limit of ability and hard physical work one way or another has a negative effect on the musculoskeletal system.Even without injury, excessive pressure can cause problems with blood flow in the synovium surrounding the joint.Because of this, cartilage tissue stops receiving "nutrition" and becomes thinner without the possibility of normal regeneration.
Professional athletes and people from certain professions often face this problem - builders, miners, mechanics, etc.
Illness
Various diseases can also "affect" the joints.Therefore, joint pain often confirms the presence of a rheumatic process in which the body's connective tissue is affected.In this case, the pain syndrome is pronounced in the morning and tends to decrease in the evening.A person feels the worst discomfort in the small joints of the hands and feet.In the morning, the patient often suffers because he cannot immediately get up and walk quickly - his body is stiff.
Some patients experience joint pain after having an inflammatory disease of the musculoskeletal system.In this case, you just have to wait until the discomfort goes away by itself.
If the pain is paroxysmal, arises unexpectedly, intensifies during the day and continues for several days, while only one joint on the big toe hurts, you can suspect gouty arthritis, where uric acid crystals accumulate in the joint structure.
If the pain increases very slowly, the inflammatory process has affected the pelvic area, knees, symptoms intensify during physical work and weaken at night, then the presumptive diagnosis is "deformable osteoarthritis."
Infectious diseases are also among the causes of joint pain;for example, after an intestinal disease, a person may experience discomfort in which all the joints of the body ache.Mobility in it remains, but unpleasant symptoms last for several days.
If there is a pocket of chronic infection in the human body, it can also cause pain in the joints.
The list of less common causes of joint pain is long and includes:
- weather dependence;
- heavy metal poisoning;
- long-term use of certain medications;
- post-allergic reactions;
- psychosomatic disorders.
Classification of joint pain
There are several classifications of joint pain.According to localization criteria, the following are distinguished:
- monoarthralgia - in this case, only one joint is affected;
- oligoarthralgia - different joints hurt at the same time, but not more than four;
- polyarthralgia - discomfort is felt in more than 4 joints of the body.
According to the nature of the lesion, pathology can be non-inflammatory and inflammatory.Post-inflammatory arthralgia and pseudoarthralgia are divided into separate groups.
Joint pain occurs in different conditions.A person feels pain at the beginning of movement - when trying to change the position of the limbs, stand or walk at a different speed.Night pain occurs during the period of night rest, when a person is resting.Such discomfort often causes sleep disturbances and greatly affects the quality of life.Referred pain can be observed in areas where there is actually no painful deviation from normal conditions.There is also mechanical pain that occurs during or after certain exercises or activities.
In addition, joint pain varies.They are:
- dull and sharp;
- permanent and temporary;
- weak, medium and intense.
This classification is largely subjective and depends on the individual characteristics of the human body.
Diagnosis of joint pain
To understand why your leg and arm joints hurt, you need to see a doctor.Doctors prescribe several diagnostic procedures for patients.To begin with, laboratory tests are taken:
- General blood test.Makes it possible to detect deviations by taking into account the nature of joint damage and its severity.
- Biochemical blood test.For joint inflammation, they look at the level of C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, total protein, seromucoid, diphenylamine reaction, as well as several other indicators that confirm the diagnosis of rheumatism.
In addition, the following examinations may be prescribed:
- Radiography.It is mandatory for painful joints, because without a picture the doctor cannot carry out a differential diagnosis and assess the level of damage to the skeletal system;
- Computed tomography.Used to study the location of injured or inflamed bone areas;
- Ultrasound examination is an accessible diagnostic method that describes in detail joint and adjacent tissues;
- Densitometry.An additional diagnostic type that shows how much bone density is preserved.Used to diagnose osteoporosis;
- Arthroscopy.During the procedure, the specialist visually examines the structure of the joint, its structure, takes tissue samples from the desired area;Radionuclide (radioisotope) scanning.Effective in the early stages of joint disease;
- Arthrography.The doctor injects a special contrast agent into the joint (contrast cannot be used).Changing the initial picture gives him the opportunity to assess the presence of affected parts in hard-to-reach parts of the joint.
If the doctor deems it necessary, a biopsy is performed - a diagnostic sampling of cells from the affected area.
Treatment of joint pain
Arthralgia treatment will be effective only if the doctor knows the cause of the symptoms and determines the marked disease.To relieve inflammation, patients can be prescribed:
- chondoprotectors - delay the development of osteoarthritis, prevent further destruction of articular cartilage, reduce inflammation;Examples of well-known drugs from this group are drugs containing glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, components that activate the regenerative process in the cartilage, which causes the pain to gradually disappear and the patient's condition to improve;
- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - eliminate pain, prevent the spread of inflammatory reactions, normalize body temperature;
- muscle relaxants - designed to minimize spasm of skeletal muscles;
- antibacterial drugs - used for arthritis of an infectious nature;
- vitamin-mineral complex - vitamins D, A, E, C, group B are necessary for normal joint function and quick recovery.Calcium, magnesium and selenium are also important;
- Hormonal drugs - steroids - are used for severe and severe inflammation, if treatment with non-steroid drugs is ineffective.
In parallel with taking pills, intramuscular and intravenous administration of drugs, patients can be prescribed warming ointments and creams, analgesics and anti-inflammatory.
If the excruciating pain is unbearable, a nerve block can be performed.During the procedure, strong drugs are used to help you forget the symptoms of pain for a while.
Additional methods for treating joint pain include:
- physical therapy;
- massage;
- manual therapy;
- mechanotherapy;
- joint traction using special equipment;
- diet.
Physiotherapy procedures are indicated for patients:
- shock wave therapy;
- laser therapy;
- phonophoresis;
- myostimulation;
- magnetic therapy and others.
Medicines containing glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate for joint pain
A line of medications containing glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate was created specifically to solve joint health problems.
Medicines containing glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate belong to the group of chondroprotectors, that is, medicines that prevent the destruction of cartilage tissue in the joints, which can be associated with age-related changes and increased physical activity, as well as several other reasons.Chondroprotectors help restore joints, relieve inflammation and pain, and prevent further disease progression.The drug line, which includes glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, not only reduces symptoms, but acts directly on the cause of joint pain and stiffness.
Surgical treatment of pain syndrome
In complex cases, it is impossible to eliminate pain in one or several joints at once using non-invasive methods.Then the patient is recommended to undergo surgery.It can be:
- arthroscopic debridement - the surgeon makes a small incision and through it removes dead tissue from the joint cavity;operations involving the use of modern endoscopic equipment;
- puncture - using a special needle, the doctor removes accumulated fluid from the joint;
- periarticular osteotomy - to reduce the load and increase the mobility of the affected joint, the doctor files the articular bones so that they grow together at a certain angle;
- endoprosthetics is a very serious operation, which is used only if it is no longer possible to restore the joint, then a prosthesis is installed instead.
Doctors decide which method of treating joint pain is indicated for a particular patient individually, taking into account age, medical history, symptoms and several other factors.
Prevention
To avoid joint damage, you need to pay maximum attention to proper nutrition.Your daily diet should contain all the necessary vitamins and minerals.You should avoid junk food, limit your meat consumption to 2-3 times a week and switch to fish dishes - this has a positive effect on the functioning of the musculoskeletal system.
It is also important:
- don't be too cold;
- lead a moderately active lifestyle;
- abandon bad habits;
- sleep at least 8 hours a day;
- frequent walks in the fresh air;
- avoid being in one position for a long time.
If joint discomfort occurs, you need to undergo an examination.If you suspect an inflammatory process, you should not self-medicate.