Joint pain: causes, symptoms, treatment.

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

Joint pain

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 in the union 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 lesions and even pathologies that are not related to the state of the joint itself.

As statistics show, sharp pains in the joints of the arms and legs begin to bother every two people over 40 to 50 years old. In people who have crossed the 70-year mark, diseases of the musculoskeletal system are even more common, in 90% of cases.

Causes of joint pain

Age changes

Possible causes of pain include age-related joint changes: cartilage tissue thins and loses its elasticity, causing painful sensations and stiffness of movement. In addition, less and less synovial fluid is produced, which fills the "capsule" around the joint of the bones and lubricates the joint.

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

Physical exercise

Increased physical activity can be considered as an independent reason why even young people may experience acute or painful joint pain. Intense training at the limit of capabilities 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 stops receiving "nutrition" and becomes thinner without the possibility of normal regeneration.

Often times, professional athletes and people of certain professions are faced with this problem: builders, miners, mechanics, etc.

Diseases

Various diseases can also "affect" the joints. So, joint pains often confirm the presence of rheumatic processes, in which the connective tissues of the body are affected. In this case, the pain syndrome manifests itself in the morning hours and tends to decrease at night. 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 immediately get up 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 until the discomfort goes away on its own.

If the pain is paroxysmal, arose unexpectedly, intensified during the day and persists for several days, while only one joint of the big toe hurts, gouty arthritis may be suspected, in which uric acid crystals accumulate in the structures articular.

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

Infectious diseases are also among the causes of joint pain, for example, after intestinal diseases, a person may experience discomfort in which all the joints of 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, the joints can also hurt.

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

• climate 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 the location criteria, there are:

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

By the nature of the injury, the pathology can be inflammatory and non-inflammatory. Post-inflammatory arthralgias and pseudoarthralgias are distinguished into separate groups.

Joint pain occurs in different circumstances. A person feels initial pains at the beginning of 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 is often the cause of sleep disturbances and greatly impairs 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 pain varies 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.

Diagnosis of joint pain

To understand why the joints of 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 taken:

• General blood test. It allows detecting deviations, taking into account the nature of the joint injury and the degree of its severity.
• Chemistry of the blood. In case of joint inflammation, they observe 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:

• Bone scan. 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;
• Computed tomography. It is used to study the location of injured or inflamed bone areas;
• Ultrasound examination is an affordable diagnostic method that describes the joint and surrounding tissues in detail;
• Densitometry. An additional type of diagnosis that shows how well bone density is preserved. It is used to diagnose osteoporosis;
• Arthroscopy. During the procedure, a specialist visually examines the structure of the joint, its structure, takes a tissue sample from the desired area; Radionuclide (radioisotope) scan. Effective in the early stages of joint diseases;
• ArthrographyThe doctor injects special contrast agents into the joint (contrast may not be used). A change in the initial image allows you to judge the presence of affected sections in parts of the joint that are difficult to access.

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

Treatment of joint pain

Treatment of arthralgia will be effective only if doctors discover the cause of the symptom and establish the development of the disease that it indicates. To relieve inflammation, the patient may be prescribed:

• hondoprotectors - slow down the progression of osteoarthritis, block further destruction of articular cartilage, reduce inflammation; an example of a known drug from this group is a drug containing 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 skeletal muscle stiffness;
• antibacterial drugs - used for arthritis of an infectious nature;
• Complexes of vitamins and minerals: vitamins D, A, E, C, of 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 the taking of tablets, intramuscular and intravenous administration of drugs, the patient may be prescribed hot ointments and creams, analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs.

If the pain is unbearable, a nerve block may be performed. During the procedure, powerful medications are used that help to forget about pain symptoms for a while.

Additional methods of treating joint pain include:

• physical therapy exercises;
• massage;
• manual therapy;
• mechanotherapy;
• joint traction with special equipment;
• diet.

From physiotherapeutic procedures, the patient is shown:

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

A medicine containing glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate for joint pain.

The line of medications, 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 cartilage tissue in the joints, which can be associated with both age-related changes and increased physical activity, as well as with various of other reasons. Chondroprotectors contribute to the restoration of the joints, relieve inflammation and pain, and prevent the development of the disease. 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 pain syndrome.

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

• arthroscopic debridement - the surgeon makes small incisions and through them removes dead tissue from the joint cavity, the operation involves the use of modern endoscopic equipment;
• puncture - with a special needle, the doctor removes the accumulated fluid from the joint;
• Periarticular osteotomy: to reduce the load and improve mobility of the affected joint, the doctor files the articular 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 method of treating joint pain is indicated for a particular patient on an individual basis, taking into account age, history, symptoms, and some other factors.

Prophylaxis

To avoid joint damage, you need to pay the utmost attention to proper nutrition. All essential vitamins and minerals must be present in the daily diet. You need to 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 to:

• do not cool too much;
• 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 any discomfort arises in the joint, it is necessary to undergo an examination. It is impossible to self-medicate if an inflammatory process is suspected.