Causes of severe joint pain. What to do if your 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. She was the first to say that serious changes began at the junction of the bones. Joint pain is not always accompanied by swelling, curvature, severe pain when feeling, or redness. The patient also does not complain of significant limitations in the mobility of large joints. It also happens that even an X-ray examination does not allow us to notice signs of inflammation. But that does not make joint pain an innocent symptom: it can signal serious organic lesions, and even pathologies that are not related to the condition of the joint itself.
As the statistics show, sharp pains in the joints of the arms and legs start to bother every other person older than 40-50 years. 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: the cartilage tissue becomes thinner and loses elasticity, which causes painful sensations and stiffness of movement. Also, less and less synovial fluid is produced that fills the "capsule" around the bone joint and lubricates the joint.
As a result, the joint surfaces may begin to touch and the joint may wear out. Without 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 exacerbated by improper diet, poor muscle tone, the presence of past injuries, a sedentary lifestyle, or, conversely, excessive physical exertion. It is important to note that age-related joint discomfort often increases in the fall and spring.
Physical exercises
Increased physical activity can be considered an independent reason why even young people may feel pain or sharp pain in the joints. Intense training at the limit of ability and hard physical work in one way or another negatively affect the musculoskeletal system. Even in the absence of injury, excessive exercise can cause disruption of blood flow in the synovium surrounding the joint. As a result, cartilage tissue stops receiving "nutrition" and becomes thinner 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 "hit" the joints. Thus, joint pain often confirms the presence of rheumatic processes in which the connective tissue of the body is affected. In this case, the pain syndrome is pronounced in the morning and tends to decrease in the evening. The 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 fast - 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 subside on its own.
If the pain is paroxysmal, occurring unexpectedly, intensified during the day, and lasting for several days, while only one joint in the thumb hurts, gouty arthritis in which uric acid crystals accumulate in the joint structures may be suspected.
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 diagnosis of "osteoarthritis deformans" is assumed.
Infectious diseases are also among the causes of joint pain, for example, after intestinal diseases, a person may feel discomfort in which all joints of the body are affected. Mobility remains in them, but the unpleasant symptom lasts for several days.
If there are foci of chronic infections in the human body, the joints can also ache.
The list of rare causes of joint pain is long and includes:
- time 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 localization criteria, there are:
- 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 on the body.
By the nature of the lesion, the pathology can be non-inflammatory and inflammatory. Gradual arthralgias and pseudoarthralgias differ into separate groups.
Joint pain occurs under different circumstances. The person feels the initial pain at the very beginning of the movement - when trying to change the position of the limbs, get up or walk at different speeds. Night pains interfere with the period of night rest, when the person is at rest. Such discomfort is often the cause of sleep disorders and greatly impairs 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.
In addition, joint pain varies in nature. They are:
- boring and sharp;
- permanent and transient;
- 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 your ankles and wrists hurt, you need to see a doctor. The doctor prescribes the patient a series of diagnostic procedures. To begin with, laboratory tests are undertaken:
- General blood test. It allows the detection of deviations, taking into account the nature of the joint lesion and the degree of its severity.
- Blood chemistry. In the case of arthritis, levels of C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, total proteins, seromucoids, reactions to diphenylamine, as well as some other indicators confirming the rheumatic diagnosis are monitored.
In addition, the following examinations may be assigned:
- Radiography. It is mandatory for painful joints, because without images the doctor can not conduct a differential diagnosis and assess the degree of damage to the skeletal system;
- CT scanner. It is used to study the location of injured or inflamed areas of bone;
- Ultrasound examination is an affordable diagnostic method that describes the joint and adjacent tissues in detail;
- Densitometry. An additional type of diagnosis that shows how well the bone density is preserved. It is used to diagnose osteoporosis;
- Arthroscopy. During the procedure, the specialist visually examines the structure of the joint, its structure, takes a tissue sample from the desired area; Radionuclide (radioisotope) scanning. Effective in the early stages of joint disease;
- Arthrography. The doctor injects special contrast agents into the joint (contrast should not be used). Changing the initial image allows him 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
Treatment of arthralgia will be effective only if doctors discover the cause of the symptoms, establish the development that the disease signals. To alleviate the inflammation, the patient may be prescribed:
- chondroprotectors - slow down the progression of osteoarthritis, block further destruction of articular cartilage, reduce inflammation; an example of a well-known drug from this group is a drug containing glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, the components activate the regenerative processes in the cartilage, due to which the pain gradually disappears, the patient's condition improves;
- nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs-eliminate pain, prevent the spread of inflammatory reactions, normalize body temperature;
- muscle relaxants - designed to reduce skeletal muscle stiffness;
- antibacterial drugs - used for arthritis of an infectious nature;
- vitamin-mineral complexes - vitamins D, A, E, C, group B are needed for normal functioning of the joints and their faster 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 nonsteroidal 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 pain is unbearable, it is possible to block the nerves. During the procedure, powerful medications are used to help forget about the pain symptoms for a while.
Additional methods of treating joint pain include:
- physiotherapy exercises;
- massage;
- manual therapy;
- mechanotherapy;
- towing joints using special equipment;
- diet.
From physiotherapeutic procedures, the patient is shown:
- shock wave therapy;
- laser therapy;
- phonophoresis;
- myostimulation;
- magnetotherapy and others.
A drug containing glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate for joint pain
The drug line, which includes glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, was created specifically to address joint health problems.
Preparations that include glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate belong to the group of chondroprotectors, ie drugs that prevent the destruction of cartilage in the joints, which can be associated with changes associated with aging and increased physical activity, as well as many other reasons. Chondroprotectors contribute to the regeneration of joints, relieve inflammation and pain, and prevent further development of the disease. The products of 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 severe cases, it is impossible to remove painful sensations in the area of one or more joints by non-invasive methods. The patient is then advised surgery. This can be:
- arthroscopic debridement - the surgeon makes small incisions and through them removes dead tissue from the joint cavity, the operation includes the use of modern endoscopic equipment;
- puncture - using a special needle the doctor draws the accumulated fluid from the joint;
- periarticular osteotomy - in order to reduce the load and improve the mobility of the affected joint, the doctor touches the articular bones so that they grow together at a certain angle;
- endoprosthetics is a very serious operation that is used only if it is no longer possible to rebuild the joint, then a prosthesis is implanted instead.
The physician 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 maximum attention to proper nutrition. All essential vitamins and minerals should be present in the daily diet. You should refuse unhealthy foods, limit meat consumption to 2-3 times a week with the transition to fish dishes - it has a positive effect on the work of the musculoskeletal system.
It is also important:
- don’t get too cold;
- lead a moderately active lifestyle;
- rejection of bad habits;
- sleep at least 8 hours a day;
- walk in the fresh air regularly;
- avoid prolonged stay in one position.
If you still experience discomfort in the joint, it is necessary to undergo an examination. It is impossible to self-medicate if an inflammatory process is suspected.