The causes of severe joint pain. What to do if the joints hurt
Joint pain
Joint pain (or as it is called otherwise - arthralgia) is an important symptom in diagnosing many diseases. It was she who first said that serious changes were beginning at the junction of the bones. Joint pain is not always accompanied by swelling, curvature, severe pain when you feel it, or redness. The patient also does not complain of significant limitations in the mobility of large joints. It also happens that we don't see any signs of inflammation even on an X-ray. However, this does not make joint pain an innocent symptom: it can signal severe organic lesions and even pathologies unrelated to the condition of the joint itself.
As statistics show, sharp pains in the joints of the arms and legs begin to bother every second person by the age of 40-50. In people who have passed the 70-year mark, diseases of the musculoskeletal system occur even more frequently - in 90% of cases.
Causes of Joint Pain
Age changes
The possible causes of pain include age-related changes in the joints: the cartilage tissue becomes thinner and loses its elasticity, which leads to painful sensations and stiffness of movement. In addition, less and less synovial fluid is produced, which fills the "capsule" around the bone connection and lubricates the joint.
This can cause the joint surfaces to touch and the joint can wear out. Without adequate protection and support of the cartilage, osteoarthritis and other conditions that are associated with acute pain can develop. The process of age-related changes in the joint is aggravated by improper diet, poor muscle tone, the presence of past injuries, a sedentary lifestyle or, conversely, excessive physical exertion. It is noteworthy that age-related joint problems often increase in autumn and spring.
Physical movement
Increased physical activity can be viewed as the independent reason that even young people may have sore or stabbing joint pain. Intensive training at the limit of performance and hard physical work have a negative effect on the musculoskeletal system in one way or another. Even when there is no injury, excessive exercise can lead to poor circulation in the synovium surrounding the joint. For this reason, the cartilage tissue receives no "nutrition" and becomes thinner without normal regeneration being possible.
Often, professional athletes and people of certain professions face such a problem - builders, miners, mechanics, etc.
Diseases
Various diseases can also "hit" the joints. For example, joint pain often confirms the presence of rheumatic processes that affect the connective tissue of the body. In this case, the pain syndrome is pronounced in the morning hours and tends to decrease in the evening. A person feels itsevere 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 an inflammatory disease of the musculoskeletal system. In this case, all you have to do is wait for the discomfort to go away on its own.
If the pain is attack-like, occurs unexpectedly, increases during the day and lasts for several days, while only one joint on the big toe hurts, one can suspect gouty arthritis, 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, symptoms intensify during physical work and weaken at night, then the suspected diagnosis is "osteoarthritis deformans".
Infectious diseases are also among the causes of joint pain, for example after bowel diseases there can be symptoms in which all joints in the body are painful. Mobility is preserved in them, but the unpleasant symptom lasts for several days.
If there are foci of chronic infections in the human body, joints can also be painful.
The list of less common causes of joint pain is long and includes:
- Weather dependency;
- Heavy metal poisoning;
- long-term use of certain drugs;
- postallergic reactions;
- psychosomatic disorders.
Classification of joint pain
There are several classifications of joint pain. According to the criterion of localization, there are:
- monoarthralgia - in this case only one joint is affected;
- Oligoarthralgia - pain in different joints at the same time, but not more than four;
- Polyarthralgia - symptoms are felt in more than 4 joints in the body.
Due to the nature of the lesion, the pathology can not be inflammatory and inflammatory. Post-inflammatory arthralgia and pseudo-arthralgia are divided into separate groups.
Joint pain occurs in a variety of circumstances. A person begins to experience pain right from the start of the movement - when trying to change the position of the limbs, stand up, or walk at a different speed. Night pain is disruptive during the night when a person is resting. Such complaints are often the cause of sleep disorders and severely impair the quality of life. Reflected pain can be seen where there are actually no painful deviations from the normal state. There is also mechanical pain that occurs during or after certain exercises or activities.
In addition, joint pain varies in nature. You are:
- dull and sharp;
- permanent and temporary;
- 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 see a doctor. The doctor prescribes a number of diagnostic procedures for the patient. First of all, laboratory tests are carried out:
- General blood analysis. It allows the detection of deviations, taking into account the type of joint lesion and its severity.
- Blood chemistry. For joint inflammation, they examine the levels of C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, total protein, seromucoid, diphenylamine reaction, as well as some other indicators that confirm a rheumatic diagnosis.
The following tests can also be assigned:
- Radiography. In the case of painful joints, it is imperative, since without pictures the doctor will not be able to perform differential diagnostics and assess the degree of damage to the skeletal system;
- CT scan. Used to examine the location of injured or inflamed areas of bone;
- Ultrasound is an inexpensive diagnostic method that describes the joint and adjacent tissue in detail;
- Densitometry. An additional type of diagnosis that shows how well bone density is being maintained. 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; Radionuclide (radioisotope) scan. Effective in the early stages of joint diseases;
- Arthrography. The doctor injects special contrast media into the joint (contrast must not be used). A change in the initial image enables him to assess the presence of affected areas in hard-to-reach areas of the joint.
If the doctor considers it necessary, a biopsy is done - a diagnostic removal of cells from the affected area.
Treatment of joint pain
Treatment for arthralgia is only effective if doctors find out the cause of the symptom and determine the development of the disease that it is signaling. To relieve inflammation, the patient can be prescribed:
- Hondoprotectors - slow down the progression of osteoarthritis, block the 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 of which activate regenerative processes in cartilage, as a result of which 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 minimize skeletal muscle stiffness;
- antibacterial drugs - used for arthritis of an infectious nature;
- Vitamin and mineral complexes - vitamins D, A, E, C, group B are needed 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 when treatment with nonsteroidal drugs is ineffective.
In parallel with taking tablets, intramuscular and intravenous administration of drugs, warming, analgesic and anti-inflammatory ointments and creams can be prescribed to the patient.
If the aching pain is unbearable, there is an option to do a nerve block. During the procedure, strong drugs are used that will help to forget about the symptoms of pain for a while.
Other methods of treating joint pain include:
- physiotherapy exercises;
- Massage;
- manual therapy;
- Mechanotherapy;
- Tensile strength of the joints with special equipment;
- Diet.
From physiotherapeutic procedures, the patient is shown:
- Shock wave therapy;
- Laser therapy;
- Phonophoresis;
- Myostimulation;
- Magnetic therapy and others.
A drug that contains glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate for joint pain
The line of drugs, which includes glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, is specifically designed to address joint health problems.
Preparations containing 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 of other reasons. Chondroprotectors help restore the joints, relieve inflammation and pain, and prevent the further development of the disease. The products in the line, which contain glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, not only relieve symptoms, but also act directly on the cause of pain and joint stiffness.
Surgical treatment of pain syndrome
In difficult cases, it is impossible to get rid of painful sensations in the area of one or more joints using non-invasive methods. Then the patient is advised to undergo an operation. It can be:
- arthroscopic debridement - the surgeon makes tiny incisions, thereby removing dead tissue from the joint cavity, the operation involves the use of modern endoscopic equipment;
- puncture - using a special needle, the doctor pulls the accumulated fluid from the joint;
- periarticular osteotomy - to reduce the load and improve mobility of the affected joint, the doctor files the joint bones so that they grow together at a certain angle;
- Endoprosthetics is a very serious operation that is only used when the joint can no longer be restored and a prosthesis is used instead.
Which method of treating joint pain is indicated in a particular patient is decided by the doctor individually, taking into account age, medical history, symptoms and a few other factors.
prophylaxis
In order to avoid damage to the joints, you need to pay maximum attention to proper nutrition. All essential vitamins and minerals should be present in the daily diet. You should refuse junk food, limit meat consumption to 2-3 times a week with the transition to fish dishes - this will have a positive effect on the work of the musculoskeletal system.
It is also important:
- do not overcool;
- lead a moderately active lifestyle;
- to refuse from bad habits;
- sleep at least 8 hours a day;
- take regular walks in the fresh air;
- Avoid staying in one position for a long time.
If there are still problems in the joint, an examination is necessary. Self-medication is not possible if an inflammatory process is suspected.