Causes of severe joint pain. What to do if the joints hurt.
Articular 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 were starting 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 restrictions in the mobility of large joints. Sometimes even an X-ray will not show signs of inflammation. But that does not make joint pain an innocent symptom: it can signal severe organ damage or even pathologies that are not related to the condition of the joint itself.
As statistics show, sharp pains in the joints of the arms and legs begin to bother one in two people over the age of 40 to 50. In people who have passed the 70-year mark, 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: cartilage tissue thins and loses elasticity, which causes painful sensations and stiffness in movement. In addition, less and less synovial fluid is produced, which fills the "capsule" around the junction of the bones and lubricates the joint.
As a result, the joint surfaces may start to touch each other and the joint may wear out. Without the proper protection and support of the cartilage, osteoarthritis and other diseases that accompany acute pain can develop. The process of age-related changes in the joint is aggravated by poor diet, poor muscle tone, the presence of past injuries, a sedentary lifestyle or, on the contrary, excessive physical exertion. It is worth noting that the age-related discomfort in the joints often increases in the fall and spring.
Physical exercise
The increase in physical activity can be considered an independent reason why even young people can experience aching or sharp joint pain. Intense training at the limit of capacity and hard physical work in one way or another has a negative effect on the musculoskeletal system. Even in the absence of injury, excessive exercise can cause disruption of blood flow 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 professional athletes and people of certain professions face such a problem - builders, miners, mechanics, etc.
Diseases
Various diseases can also "affect" the joints. So, joint pain often confirms the presence of rheumatic processes, in which the connective tissues of the body are affected. In this case, the pain syndrome is pronounced in the morning and tends to decrease in the evening. 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 can not immediately get up and walk quickly - his body is stiff.
In some patients, the joints are painful after suffering from an inflammatory disease of the musculoskeletal system. In this case, you just have to wait for the discomfort to go away on its own.
If the pain is paroxysmal, occurs unexpectedly, intensifies during the day and persists for several days, while only one joint of the big toe hurts, gouty arthritis, in which acid crystals, can be suspected. uric acid build up in joint structures.
If the pain develops very slowly, the inflammatory process has affected the pelvic region, the knees, the symptoms intensify during physical labor and weaken at night, then the presumptive diagnosis is "deforming osteoarthritis".
Infectious diseases are also among the causes of joint pain, for example, after bowel disease, a person may experience discomfort in which all the joints in the body are painful. Mobility at 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 be painful.
The list of less common causes of joint pain is long and includes:
- dependence on weather conditions;
- heavy metal poisoning;
- long-term use of certain drugs;
- post-allergic reactions;
- psychosomatic disorders.
Classification of joint pain
There are several classifications of joint pain. Depending on the location criterion, 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 of the body.
By the nature of the lesion, the pathology can be non-inflammatory and inflammatory. Post-inflammatory arthralgia and pseudoarthralgia are distinguished into distinct groups.
Joint pain occurs in different circumstances. A person feels pain at the very beginning of the movement - when trying to change the position of the limbs, stands up or walks at a different speed. Night pain is disturbing during the night's rest period, when a person is at rest. Such discomfort is often the cause of sleep disturbances and seriously affects the quality of life. The reflected pain can be seen in areas where there is actually no painful deviation 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:
- dull and pointed;
- 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 the joints in the legs and arms hurt, you need to see a doctor. The doctor prescribes a number of diagnostic procedures for the patient. To begin with, laboratory tests are carried out:
- General blood test. It makes it possible to detect deviations, taking into account the nature of the joint injury and its degree of severity.
- Blood chemistry. In case of joint inflammation, they examine the levels of C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, total protein, seromucus, diphenylamine reaction, as well as other indicators that confirm a rheumatic diagnosis.
In addition, the following exams may be awarded:
- X-ray. It is mandatory for painful joints, because without pictures the doctor can not make a differential diagnosis and assess the degree of damage to the skeletal system;
- computed tomography. Used to study the location of injured or inflamed areas of bone;
- Ultrasound is an affordable diagnostic method that describes in detail the joint and adjacent tissues;
- Densitometry. An additional type of diagnosis showing how well bone density is preserved. 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 scan (radioisotope). Effective in the early stages of joint diseases;
- Arthrography. The doctor injects special contrast agents inside the joint (the contrast medium should not be used). A change in the initial image allows him to judge the presence of affected sections in the hard-to-reach parts of the joint.
If the doctor deems it necessary, a biopsy is taken - a diagnostic sample of cells from the affected area.
Treatment of joint pain
Treatment for arthralgia will only be effective if doctors find out the cause of the symptom, establish the development of the disease it signals. To relieve inflammation, the patient may be prescribed:
- hondoprotectors - slow down the progression of osteoarthritis, block the further destruction of articular cartilage, reduce inflammation; a well-known example of a drug from this group is a drug containing glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, the components activate the processes of cartilage regeneration, due to which the pain gradually disappears, the patient's condition improves;
- nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs - eliminates pain, prevents the spread of inflammatory reactions, normalizes body temperature;
- muscle relaxers - designed to minimize stiffness in skeletal muscles;
- antibacterial drugs - used for arthritis of an infectious nature;
- vitamin and mineral complexes - vitamins D, A, E, C, 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 effectiveness of treatment with nonsteroidal drugs.
Along with taking tablets, intramuscular and intravenous administration of drugs, the patient can be prescribed warming, analgesic and anti-inflammatory ointments and creams.
If the aching pain is unbearable, it is possible to perform a nerve blockage. During the procedure, strong drugs are used to help forget about pain symptoms for a while.
Other methods of treating joint pain include:
- physiotherapy exercises;
- massage;
- manual therapy;
- mechanotherapy;
- traction of the joints with the help of special equipment;
- diet.
From physiotherapeutic procedures the patient is shown:
- shock wave therapy;
- laser therapy;
- phonophoresis;
- myostimulation;
- magnetotherapy and others.
A medicine that contains glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate for joint pain
The line of drugs, which includes glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, were created specifically to address joint health issues.
Preparations containing 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 changes related to theage and increased physical activity, as well as a number of other reasons. Chondroprotectors help restore joints, relieve inflammation and pain, and prevent the further development of the disease. The products in the line, which include glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate, not only relieve symptoms, but work 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 one or more joints using non-invasive methods. Then the patient is advised to undergo surgery. It could be :
- arthroscopic debridement - the surgeon makes tiny incisions and through them removes dead tissue from the joint cavity, the operation involves the use of modern endoscopic equipment;
- puncture - with the help of a special needle, the doctor removes the accumulated fluid from the joint;
- Periarticular osteotomy - in order to reduce the load and improve the mobility of the affected joint, the doctor files the joint bones so that they grow together at a certain angle;
- stenting is a very serious operation that is only used if it is no longer possible to restore the joint, then a prosthesis is installed instead.
The doctor decides which joint pain treatment method is indicated for a particular patient on an individual basis, taking into account age, history, symptoms and certain other factors.
Prophylaxis
To avoid damage to the joints, you need to pay maximum attention to proper nutrition. All the 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:
- do not overcool;
- lead a moderately active life;
- refuse bad habits;
- sleep at least 8 hours a day;
- take regular walks in the fresh air;
- avoid prolonged stays in one position.
If there is discomfort in the joint, it is necessary to undergo an examination. It is impossible to self-medicate if an inflammatory process is suspected.