Causes of severe joint pain. What to do if the joint is injured.
joint pain
Joint pain (or in another way-arthralgia) is an important symptom in the diagnosis of many diseases. She was the first to say that drastic changes have taken place from the junction of the bones. Joint pain is not always accompanied by severe soreness when swelling, bending, feeling, or redness. The patient also did not complain that the movement of the large joints was severely restricted. Even X-rays can’t show us signs of inflammation. But this does not make joint pain a harmless symptom: it may indicate severe organic disease, or even disease that has nothing to do with the state of the joint itself.
Statistics show that everyone over the age of 40-50 starts to feel severe pain in the joints of the arms and legs. In people over 70 years of age, musculoskeletal disorders are more common-in 90% of cases.
Causes of joint pain
Age change
Possible causes of pain include age-related joint changes: cartilage tissue thins and loses elasticity, which can cause pain and stiffness in movement. In addition, less and less synovial fluid is produced, which fills the "capsules" around the bone joints and lubricates the joints.
As a result, the joint surfaces may start to contact, and the joints may wear out. Without proper cartilage protection and support, osteoarthritis and other diseases that accompany acute pain can occur. Age-related joint changes can be exacerbated by improper diet, weakened muscle tone, previous injuries, sedentary lifestyle, or excessive physical exertion on the contrary. It is worth noting that age-related joint discomfort tends to increase in autumn and spring.
Physical exercise
Increased physical activity can be considered an independent cause, even young people may experience pain or severe joint pain. In one way or another, high-intensity training and hard physical work at the limit of ability can have a negative impact on the musculoskeletal system. Even if there is no injury, excessive exercise can cause blood flow to the synovial membrane around the joint. Because of this, cartilage tissue stops receiving "nutrition" and becomes thinner, without the possibility of normal regeneration.
Professional athletes and people in certain professions often face such problems-builders, miners, mechanics, etc.
disease
Various diseases can also "hit" the joints. Therefore, joint pain usually confirms the presence of rheumatism, in which the connective tissues of the body are affected. In this case, the pain syndrome is obvious in the morning and tends to lessen at night. A person feels the strongest discomfort in the small joints of the hands and feet. When getting up in the morning, patients often feel unable to get up and walk quickly—the body is stiff.
In some patients, joints are injured after suffering from inflammatory diseases of the musculoskeletal system. In this case, you only need to wait until the discomfort disappears on its own.
If the pain is paroxysmal, unexpected, worsened during the day, and lasts for several days, and only one joint pain on the big toe, then gouty arthritis can be suspected, in which uric acid crystals accumulate in the joint structure.
If the pain grows very slowly, the inflammatory process has affected the pelvic area, the knee, the symptoms aggravate during physical work, and weaken at night, the presumed diagnosis is "deformed osteoarthritis".
Infectious diseases are also one of the causes of joint pain. For example, after intestinal diseases, a person may feel joint pain everywhere in the body. Their mobility is still there, but the unpleasant symptoms will last for several days.
If the human body has chronically infected lesions, the joints will also be painful.
The list of less common causes of joint pain is long and includes:
- Weather dependent
- Heavy metal poisoning;
- Long-term use of certain drugs;
- Post-allergic reaction;
- Psychosomatic disorders.
Classification of joint pain
There are several categories of joint pain. According to the positioning criteria, there are:
- Single joint pain-in this case, only one joint is affected;
- Less joint pain-different joints are injured at the same time, but no more than four;
- Polyarthralgia-discomfort in more than 4 joints of the body.
Depending on the nature of the lesion, the pathology can be non-inflammatory and inflammatory. Post-inflammation arthralgia and pseudoarthralgia are divided into different groups.
Joint pain occurs in different situations. A person feels pain at the beginning of the exercise-when trying to change the position of the limbs, stand up or walk at a different speed. During the night rest period, when a person is at rest, night pain will interfere. This discomfort is often the cause of sleep disorders and greatly impairs the quality of life. Reflex pain can be seen in areas where there is virtually no pain deviation from the normal state. Mechanical pain can also occur during or after certain exercises or activities.
In addition, the nature of joint pain varies. they are:
- Blunt and sharp
- Permanent and short-lived;
- Weak, medium and strong.
This classification is largely subjective and depends on the individual characteristics of the human body.
Diagnosis of joint pain
To understand the cause of joint pain in your legs and arms, you need to see a doctor. The doctor will prescribe some diagnostic procedures for the patient. First, perform laboratory tests:
- General blood analysis. Taking into account the nature and severity of joint disease, it can detect deviations.
- Blood chemistry. In the case of joint inflammation, they will check the levels of C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, total protein, serum mucin, diphenylamine reaction, and other indicators to confirm the diagnosis of rheumatism.
In addition, the following exams can also be specified:
- Radiography. For painful joints, this is mandatory, because without pictures, doctors cannot make differential diagnosis 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 an economical diagnostic method that can describe joints and adjacent tissues in detail;
- Density determination. Another type of diagnosis shows the preservation of bone density. Used to diagnose osteoporosis;
- Arthroscopy. During the operation, the expert visually inspects the structure of the joint, its structure, and collects tissue samples from the desired area; radionuclide (radioisotope) scans. Effective in the early stage of joint disease;
- Arthrography. The doctor injects a special contrast medium (contrast medium may not be used) into the joint. The change in the initial picture allows him to judge whether there is an affected part in the hard-to-reach part of the joint.
If the doctor considers it necessary, a biopsy is performed-a diagnostic sample of cells is taken from the affected area.
Joint pain treatment
Only when the doctor finds out the cause of the symptoms and determines which disease it indicates the development of the disease, the treatment of joint pain will be effective. In order to relieve inflammation, the patient can be prescribed:
- hondoprotectors-slow down the progression of osteoarthritis, prevent further destruction of articular cartilage, and reduce inflammation; an example of a well-known drug in this group is a drug containing glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, these ingredients activate the regeneration process in cartilage and therefore painIt disappears gradually, and the patient's condition has improved;
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs-relieve pain, prevent the spread of inflammation, and normalize body temperature;
- Muscle relaxants-designed to minimize skeletal muscle stiffness;
- Antibacterial drugs-for infectious arthritis;
- Vitamins and mineral complexes-the normal function and rapid recovery of joints require vitamin D, A, E, C, and B groups. Calcium, magnesium and selenium are also important;
- In cases where non-steroidal medications are ineffective, hormonal drugs-steroids-are used for severe and severe inflammation.
While taking pills, intramuscular injections and intravenous injections, patients can be prescribed warm, analgesic and anti-inflammatory ointments and creams.
If the pain is unbearable, a nerve block can be performed. During the operation, the use of powerful drugs can help temporarily forget the painful symptoms.
Other ways to treat joint pain include:
- Physical therapy exercises;
- massage;
- Manual therapy
- Mechanical therapy
- Use special equipment to pull the joints;
- diet.
From the physical therapy procedure, the patient showed:
- Shock wave therapy
- Laser Treatment;
- Vocalize
- Muscle stimulation;
- Magnetic therapy and so on.
A medicine containing glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate for treating joint pain
This series of drugs includes glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, which are specifically used to solve joint health problems.
Preparations containing glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate belong to chondroprotective agents, that is, drugs that prevent the destruction of articular cartilage tissue, which may be related to age-related changes and increased physical activity, as well as some other reasons. Cartilage protectors help repair joints, relieve inflammation and pain, and prevent the further development of diseases. This series of products, including glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, can not only relieve symptoms, but also directly address the causes of pain and joint stiffness.
Surgical treatment of pain syndrome
In difficult situations, non-invasive methods cannot eliminate pain in one or more joint areas. Then recommend that the patient undergo surgery. this might be:
- Arthroscopic debridement-the surgeon makes tiny incisions and uses them to remove dead tissue from the joint cavity. This operation involves the use of modern endoscopic equipment;
- Puncture-using a special needle, the doctor removes the accumulated fluid from the joint;
- Osteotomy around the joints-in order to reduce the load and improve the mobility of the affected joints, the doctor will file the joint bones at a certain angle to make them grow together;
- Endoprosthesis is a very serious operation. It is used only when the joint can no longer be restored, and then the prosthesis is installed.
The doctor will decide which treatment method is suitable for joint pain according to the patient's age, medical history, symptoms and other factors.
prevention
To avoid joint damage, you need to pay the utmost attention to proper nutrition. All necessary vitamins and minerals should be present in the daily diet. You should reject junk food and limit meat consumption to 2-3 times a week when transitioning to fish dishes-this has a positive effect on the work of the musculoskeletal system.
This is also important:
- Don't get too cold
- Lead a moderately active lifestyle;
- Reject 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 joint discomfort does occur, an examination is necessary. If you suspect an inflammatory process, you cannot treat yourself.