Joint pain: causes, symptoms, treatment

The causes of severe joint pain. What to do if the joints hurt.

Articolar pains

Joint pain (or as it is called in another way - arthralgia) is an important symptom in the diagnosis of many diseases. It was she who first said that serious changes began at the junction of the bones. Joint pain is not always accompanied by swelling, curvature, severe pain when felt or redness. The patient also does not complain of significant restrictions in the mobility of the large joints. It also happens that even an X-ray examination does not allow us to see signs of inflammation. But this does not make joint pain an innocent symptom: it can signal serious organic injuries and even pathologies not related to the state of the joint itself.

As the statistics show, acute pains in the joints of the arms and legs begin to bother one in two people over the age of 40-50. In people over the age of 70, diseases of the musculoskeletal system are even more common, in 90% of cases.

Causes of joint pain

Age changes

Among the possible causes of pain are age-related changes in the joints: cartilage tissue thins and loses its elasticity, causing painful sensations and stiffness of movements. In addition, less and less synovial fluid is produced, which fills the "capsule" around the junction of the bones and lubricates the joint.

As a result, the joint surfaces may begin to touch and the joint may wear out. Without adequate cartilage protection and support, osteoarthritis and other diseases that accompany acute pain can develop. The process of age-related changes in the joint is aggravated by improper diet, weak muscle tone, the presence of past injuries, a sedentary lifestyle or, conversely, excessive physical exertion. Interestingly, age-related discomfort in the joints often increases in the fall and spring.

Exercise

Increased physical activity can be considered as an independent reason why even young people may experience aching or sharp joint pain. Intense training at the limit of abilities and hard physical work in one way or another have a negative effect on the musculoskeletal system. Even in the absence of injury, excessive exercise can cause blood flow disturbances in the synovium surrounding the joint. Because of this, the cartilage tissue ceases to receive "nutrition" and thins without the possibility of normal regeneration.

Often professional athletes and people of certain professions face such a problem: builders, miners, mechanics, etc.

Diseases

Various diseases can also "affect" the joints. Hence, joint pain often confirms the presence of rheumatic processes, in which the connective tissues of the body are affected. In this case, the pain syndrome is pronounced in the morning and tends to decrease in the evening. A person feels the strongest discomfort in the small joints of the hands and feet. In the morning, the patient often suffers from the fact that he cannot get up immediately and walk quickly - his body is stiff.

In some patients, the joints hurt after suffering from an inflammatory disease of the musculoskeletal system. In this case, you just need to wait for the discomfort to disappear on its own.

If the pain is paroxysmal, onset unexpectedly, intensified during the day and persisting for several days, while only a big toe joint hurts, gouty arthritis can be suspected, in which uric acid crystals accumulate in the joint structures.

If the pain grows very slowly, the inflammatory process has affected the pelvic area, knees, the symptoms intensify during physical work and weaken at night, then the presumed diagnosis is "deforming osteoarthritis".

Infectious diseases are also among the causes of joint pain, for example, after intestinal diseases, a person can experience discomfort in which all joints in the body hurt. Mobility in them remains, but the unpleasant symptom lasts for several days.

If there are foci of chronic infections in the human body, then the joints can also hurt.

The list of less common causes of joint pain is long and includes:

• time dependence;
• heavy metal poisoning;
• long-term use of certain drugs;
• post-allergic reactions;
• psychosomatic disorders.

Joint pain classification

There are several classifications of joint pain. According to the location criterion, there are:

• monoarthralgia: in this case only one joint is affected;
• oligoarthralgia - several joints hurt at the same time, but no more than four;
• polyarthralgia: the discomfort is felt in more than 4 joints of the body.

By the nature of the lesion, the pathology can be non-inflammatory and inflammatory. Postinflammatory arthralgia and pseudoarthralgia are divided into separate groups.

Joint pain occurs under different circumstances. A person experiences initial pains at the beginning of the movement - when trying to change the position of the limbs, stand up or walk at a different speed. Night pains disturb during the night rest period, when a person is at rest. This discomfort often causes sleep disturbances and greatly affects the quality of life. Reflected pain can be seen in areas where there are actually no painful deviations from the normal state. There are also mechanical pains that occur during or after certain exercises or activities.

Also, joint pains vary in nature. They are:

• dull and sharp;
• permanent and transitory;
• weak, moderate and intense.

This classification is largely subjective and depends on the individual characteristics of the human body.

Joint Pain Diagnosis

To understand why the joints in the legs and arms hurt, you need to consult a doctor. The doctor prescribes a number of diagnostic procedures for the patient. To begin with, laboratory tests are carried out:

• General blood analysis. It allows you to detect deviations, taking into account the nature of the joint injury and the degree of its severity.
• Blood chemistry. In case of joint inflammation, they examine the levels of C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, total protein, seromucoid, reaction to diphenylamine, as well as some other indicators that confirm a rheumatic diagnosis.

In addition, the following exams can be assigned:

• X-ray. It is mandatory for painful joints, since without images the doctor cannot make differential diagnoses and assess the degree of damage to the skeletal system;
• CT scan. Used to study the location of injured or inflamed bone areas;
• Ultrasound examination is a convenient diagnostic method that describes in detail the joint and adjacent tissues;
• Densitometry. Another type of diagnosis that shows how bone density is preserved. Used to diagnose osteoporosis;
• Arthroscopy. During the procedure, a specialist visually examines the structure of the joint, its structure, takes a sample of tissue from the desired area; Scanning of radionuclides (radioisotopes). Effective in the early stages of joint diseases;
• Arthrography. The doctor injects special contrast agents into the joint (contrast cannot be used). A change in the initial image allows him to judge the presence of affected sections in parts of the joint that are difficult to reach.

If the doctor deems it necessary, a biopsy is performed, a diagnostic sampling of cells from the affected area.

Joint pain treatment

Treatment of arthralgia will be effective only if doctors find out the cause of the symptom, establish the development of which disease it signals. To relieve inflammation, the patient can be prescribed:

• hondoprotectors - slow down the progression of osteoarthritis, block further destruction of joint cartilage, reduce inflammation; an example of a well-known drug of this group is a drug that contains glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, the components activate regenerative processes in the cartilage, due to which the pain gradually disappears, the patient's condition improves;
• non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - eliminate pain, prevent the spread of inflammatory reactions, normalize body temperature;
• muscle relaxants - designed to minimize stiffness of skeletal muscles;
• antibacterial drugs - used for arthritis of an infectious nature;
• vitamin and mineral complexes - vitamins D, A, E, C, group B are necessary for the normal functioning of the joints and their rapid recovery. Calcium, magnesium and selenium are also important;
• hormonal drugs - steroids - are used for severe and severe inflammation, in the absence of the effectiveness of treatment with non-steroidal drugs.

In parallel with taking tablets, intramuscular and intravenous administration of drugs, the patient may be prescribed warming, analgesic and anti-inflammatory ointments and creams.

If the painful pain is unbearable, a nerve block can be performed. Powerful drugs are used during the procedure, which help to forget about pain symptoms for a while.

Additional methods of joint pain treatment include:

• physiotherapy exercises;
• massage;
• manual therapy;
• mechanotherapy;
• traction of joints using special equipment;
• diet.

From physiotherapeutic procedures, the patient is shown:

• shock wave therapy;
• laser therapy;
• phonophoresis;
• myostimulation;
• magnetotherapy and others.

A drug that contains glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate for joint pain

The line of drugs, which includes glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, was created specifically to solve joint health problems.

Preparations that include glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate belong to the group of chondroprotectors, that is, drugs that prevent the destruction of the cartilage tissue of the joints, which can be associated with both age-related changes and increased physical activity, as well as a number other reasons. Chondroprotectors contribute to the restoration of the joints, relieve inflammation and pain, and prevent further development of the disease. The products in the line, which include glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, not only relieve symptoms but act directly on the cause of joint pain and stiffness.

Surgical treatment of the pain syndrome

In difficult cases, it is impossible to eliminate painful sensations in the area of one or several joints using non-invasive methods. Then the patient is advised to undergo surgery. This could be:

• arthroscopic debridement: the surgeon makes tiny incisions and through them removes dead tissue from the joint cavity, the operation involves the use of modern endoscopic equipment;
• puncture - using a special needle, the doctor extracts the accumulated fluid from the joint;
• periarticular osteotomy - in order to reduce the load and improve the mobility of the affected joint, the doctor files the joint bones so that they grow together at a certain angle;
• endoprosthesis is a very serious operation that is used only if it is no longer possible to restore the joint, then a prosthesis is installed.

The doctor decides which joint pain treatment method is indicated for a particular patient on an individual basis, taking into account age, history, symptoms and some other factors.

Prophylaxis

To avoid damage to the joints, you need to pay close attention to proper nutrition. All essential vitamins and minerals should be present in the daily diet. You should refuse junk food, limit the consumption of meat to 2-3 times a week with the transition to fish dishes - this has a positive effect on the work of the musculoskeletal system.

It is also important:

• do not overcool;
• lead a moderately active lifestyle;
• reject bad habits;
• sleep at least 8 hours a day;
• take regular walks in the fresh air;
• avoid prolonged stay in one position.

If discomfort occurs in the joint, it is necessary to undergo an examination. It is impossible to self-medicate if an inflammatory process is suspected.