What symptoms signal joint pain and when you need to see a doctor, told Clinic Medicom rheumatologist Pritkova Anna Vadimovna.
Symptoms of joint pain
Our joints connect the bones, thanks to which the bones move relative to each other with the help of muscles: they bend, flex, rotate. The knee joint allows us to bend and extend the leg, and the shoulder joint allows us to move the arm widely.
Joints also support body stability and balance. For example, the joints of the spine support the head, shoulder girdle, upper limbs and distribute the load on the spine. The intervertebral discs act as shock absorbers, reducing the load on the spine during movement. Therefore, the joints should not ache either constantly or occasionally.
How to understand that it is the joints that hurt?
In fact, this is not an easy task, because the joints have muscles and tendons that can also be sore after strenuous sports or injuries. It is also important what kind of disorder masquerades as pain.
Symptoms of joint pain or joint disorder include:
- swelling; redness and warmth of the skin at the site of pain; the need to “stretch” every morning or after several hours of rest;
- limited movement; fatigue;
- increased body temperature; mechanical pain that occurs when moving – going up or down stairs or starting to move after rest.
Causes of joint pain
There are nearly two hundred conditions and diseases that cause joint pain. Some of the more common ones are:
- Osteoarthritis / Degenerative Osteoarthritis – “aging” of the joints.
It usually occurs after the age of 45, when the cartilage in the joints wears out. Cartilage, or cartilaginous tissue, cushions bones and joints, reducing the load on them during movement. It also reduces friction – it “lubricates” the joints so that the bones slide one after the other and do not rub;
- arthritis – inflammation of a joint, accompanied by signs of inflammation: swelling, redness, pain, impaired mobility. Diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout and others are more common;
- tendonitis/tenovagitis – inflammation of the tendon or its surrounding sheath connecting bones and muscles;
- bursitis – inflammation of the connective tissue (bag), which acts as a shock absorber between the tendon and the bone;
- autoimmune diseases, especially rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus, conditions in which the immune system attacks its own cells instead of viruses or bacteria as it should;
- gout (another form of arthritis of which there are about 100 in total) is a condition where acid crystals from our body build up in a joint, causing severe pain and swelling. The joint of the big toe is most often affected;
- infectious – viral hepatitis, influenza, Covid-19, Lyme disease, rheumatic fever and others;
- traumatic: injuries or dislocations.
Relief of joint pain
If you are experiencing joint or joint pain, the only good solution is to make an appointment with a rheumatologist. Analgesics, lotions, ointments with cooling and pain-relieving effects only temporarily relieve the symptoms, but do not treat the agitation that manifests itself as pain.
It is very important to determine the cause and create a treatment plan based on the patient’s general health, age, lifestyle, etc. The doctor’s task in this case is to relieve the patient’s pain as quickly and effectively as possible, without causing harm.
While waiting for a visit to a rheumatologist, try not to overload the joints – do not lift heavy objects, temporarily give up training in the gym.
Source: tsn.ua
2024-09-07 10:57:58