Joint pain is an accompanying symptom of many musculoskeletal disorders. Painful sensations are experienced once or repeatedly by up to half of the world's population. More often, the development of pathological processes begins in the second half of life, but often worries young patients. Joint pain affects adjacent tissues, muscles and tendons. If left untreated, the problem progresses quickly and leads to a significant deterioration in quality of life and disability. Timely contact with specialists helps to make a correct diagnosis and initiate treatment that will completely relieve joint pain and eliminate its causes.
Causes of joint pain
Pain can have many causes. Among them:
- Fresh or old injuries.
- Overweight.
- High physical or sporting activity.
- Work that requires standing for long periods of time.
- Passive lifestyle.
- Age.
- Genetic predisposition.
- Weakening of the immune system.
- Infectious lesions of the body.
- Osteoarthritis, arthritis, gout.
- Vascular spasms due to stress or overload.
Types of joint pain
Pain in the joint during or shortly after an injury is a natural phenomenon. However, complaints can have a number of hidden causes: inflammation, infection, overwork and others. If joint pain recurs without an apparent cause and the disease progresses, you should see a specialist as soon as possible. Any poisoning of the joint is potentially dangerous.
| Type of pain | Occurrence condition | Description | Possible reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mechanically | Occurs in people of all ages during physical activity or sports | Aching pain that disappears with rest, with self-massage and physiotherapeutic procedures | Metabolic disorders, previous injuries, dystrophic changes in the cartilage tissue of the joints |
| Starting | Marked at the beginning of the movement | Stinging pain and limitation of joint mobility, subsides 3-5 minutes after starting physical activity | Osteoarthritis, osteochondrosis |
| Night | Drawing pain of intermittent intensity | Occurs at rest, during stress, overexertion, after eating smoked meat or pickled vegetables | Osteoarthritis, gout |
| Reflects | Twisting, aching, pulling pain | Spreads to surrounding tissue. Excess weight occurs during sporting activities | Spinal diseases, arthrosis, arthritis |
Doctor advice and diagnosis
- chiropractor
- Vertebrologist
- osteopath
- neurologist
A detailed diagnosis is carried out as part of the consultation. Based on the results of the consultation, the doctor gives detailed treatment recommendations and, if necessary, prescribes additional diagnostics.
Diagnostic test
Advanced joint pain is associated with extremely negative consequences. It spreads to neighboring tissues and pathologically affects them. Large ulcerative lesions develop on the skin. Inflammation can affect the urinary system and genitals. The mobility of the limbs decreases. The quality of life will decrease significantly.
To avoid such a sad outcome, consult a general practitioner, orthopedist, rheumatologist or neurologist. Do not allow the pain to become constant and painful, deforming the organ and affecting your overall health.
With a well-structured diagnostic process, the doctor, after listening to the patient's complaints and visually examining them, takes an anamnesis and, depending on the reasonable suspicion of a particular disease, prescribes the following procedures:
- Blood tests. By changing some indicators, the causative disease can be identified immediately;
- X-ray of the affected area. One of the most accessible and reliable studies;
- Synovial fluid sample. Thickening or changes in properties indicate the development of arthritic changes;
- MRI. Provides layer-by-layer visualization of the tissue structures of the joint and surrounding area. Accuracy is increased by contrast. When planning a surgical intervention, such a diagnosis is mandatory;
- Ultrasonic. Effective in inflammatory processes, systemic diseases and some types of injuries;
- Duplex scanning. Allows you to assess the vascular environment of the organ and the quality of blood flow in it;
- CT. Creates a three-dimensional image of the examined organ, allowing functionality to be assessed in motion.
A comprehensive examination of the body helps to obtain a complete picture of the disease, make an accurate diagnosis, distinguish diseases with similar symptoms and begin recovery and rehabilitation therapy.
Therapeutic therapy for joint pain
The treatment chosen depends on the disease diagnosed, its severity and the speed of progression. The earlier the causes of joint pain are identified, the easier the treatment is and the better the results. In the early stages, exercise therapy and physiotherapy are sufficient, but in severe cases, surgery may be necessary.
The following methods are used to treat joint pain:
- Manual therapy. Manual correction of musculoskeletal problems. Return of joints and bones to their physiological position;
- Physical therapy. Effective treatment with natural and artificially created factors. Light, water, magnetic or electric fields, the influence of temperature and others are used. Painless procedures that activate the body's own defenses;
- Massage. Mechanical effect on subcutaneous receptors, relieving spasms, tension, optimizing blood circulation;
- Orthopedic shoes, insoles. Eliminate foot deformities, correct posture disorders, relieve stress on joints;
- Reflexology. Insertion of needles into biologically active points on the body. Improves microcirculation, blood pressure and relieves pain;
- Ozone therapy. Saturates tissues with oxygen, accelerates the regeneration of damaged organs, increases personal immunity and cleanses toxic damage.
- Plasma therapy. By injecting your own platelet-rich plasma, joints, skin and other organs are restored.
- Drug therapy. Taking painkillers relieves the pain syndrome. Chondroprotectors are used to restore affected joints. Injections into the interior of the joint are possible;
- Surgical intervention. Joints destroyed by the disease are replaced with modern prostheses with identical functionality and a significant amount of time. Indicated in severe cases of lesions.
Prevention of joint pain
To strengthen joint tissue and maintain its healthy condition, it is recommended:
- Perform a series of specific exercises that support optimal joint function.
- To go swimming;
- Avoid overloading and hypothermia of the joint capsule;
- Control your own weight and avoid being overweight.
- drink 2-3 liters of water daily;
- minimize alcohol consumption, stop smoking;
- Perform industrial exercises regularly during routine sitting or standing work.
- Treat infectious and viral diseases in a high-quality and timely manner. inflammatory diseases;
- Attend an annual medical exam. If you notice any signs of joint problems, see a doctor immediately.
Joint diseases: successful treatment in a modern clinic
For many years, the clinic's specialists have been offering effective treatment of various joint diseases and getting the most difficult patients back on their feet that other doctors or clinics had rejected. A guaranteed positive result is the natural result of an integrated approach that combines classic therapy methods proven by many years of experience with modern innovative medical achievements in the field of joint pain. The professional arsenal of the clinic's doctors includes a variety of rehabilitation and recovery programs, which are constantly updated with the latest and most effective developments. For this purpose, doctors regularly attend training courses, retraining, seminars or conferences in the best clinics of other countries and familiarize themselves with the advanced achievements of therapy and surgery.
Patients of the clinic are offered free consultation and diagnostics, as well as the creation of a preliminary treatment plan. The results of the effectiveness of therapy will not be long in coming; After the first sessions, patients note a significant reduction and even complete disappearance of unpleasant pain symptoms.
FAQ
Is it true that only older people have joint pain?
Joint pain can occur in people of all ages. The cause of its occurrence are many infectious diseases, bacterial infections, diabetes mellitus, chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and many other problems of the body. Joint pain at a young age can be a result of dysplasia syndrome, in which there is a weakness of the connective tissue.
Could joint pain be a reaction to changing weather?
Yes, joint pain makes people dependent on the weather. Changes in pressure in the area where you live increase or decrease intraosseous blood pressure. The increase leads to aching pain. Typically, pressure changes precede weather changes. In addition, diseased joints react strongly to heat or cold. Therefore, people with gout feel more comfortable in winter, people with osteochondrosis in summer.
Are joint diseases inherited?
It is not the disease itself that is transmitted, but the predisposition to its occurrence. In the presence of accompanying factors, illnesses or a poor lifestyle, the genetic predisposition will determine the development of the disease.
Should I avoid exercise if I have joint pain?
Professional sports with enormous strain are contraindicated in the case of joint diseases. However, keeping the joints in good condition requires strong muscles, which can only be achieved through physical exercise. Therapeutic gymnastics, a set of exercises specifically tailored to the affected joints, helps to significantly relieve pain and protect the organ from further destruction.
Do you need a special diet for joint diseases?
For gout patients, it is necessary to exclude tomatoes and other nightshade products from the diet, as they cause severe pain and provoke the development of inflammation. For everyone else, no special diet is prescribed. However, it should be borne in mind that eating sweets, smoked meats and fat leads to excessive weight gain, which negatively affects joint health.