Causes of joint pain
Joint pain is a rather painful symptom of diseases of the musculoskeletal system. On average, about a third of the world's population suffers from joint pain. Especially susceptible to diseases of the joints of the face at age. According to statistics, in people over 40 years of age, joint pathology is found in 50 percent of cases, and after 70 years, 90 percent of the population suffers from joint pain.
It is in this connection that the World Health Organization devoted the first decade of the new millennium to the fight against diseases of the musculoskeletal system. After all, if the appropriate measures are not taken in time, then joint pains turn for a person into daily torment, when even the lightest movements are given with great difficulty. What can we say about an active lifestyle …
Arthritis - what is it?
You need to learn to listen to the signals of your body and avoid serious consequences. And for this, at least, it is necessary to understand the causes of joint pain. Only in this case it will be possible to start the correct treatment and avoid undesirable consequences.
A joint is a movable part of a limb that consists of two bones. Bones are held in place by ligaments (strong ropes) and set in motion by tendons and muscles. Pain in any part of the joint is equated with joint pain.
Arthritis is inflammation of one or more joints and the ligaments and tendons that make up them (connective tissue). The fact that you have started an inflammatory process can be understood by the following symptoms: limited movement, joint swelling, redness and pain, fever. More than a hundred pathological conditions contribute to the development of arthritis, which include infections and blood disorders.
If one joint is damaged, we are talking about monoarthritis, if two or three - oligoarthritis, more than three joints - polyarthritis.
With a bacterial lesion, joint pain is in no way associated with physical exertion and occurs even at rest, and increases many times during movement. At the same time, there is swelling and redness around the joint, a feeling of stiffness, especially in the morning. The joint itself can change its shape and shape due to inflammation of the articular tissues, accumulation of inflammatory fluid in its cavity and disturbance of the osteochondral surface. All this is accompanied by the following symptoms: fever, tiredness, weakness, headache, irritability.
In general, arthritis is a universal term for joint inflammation. However, this is not a diagnosis yet. Today, there are about a hundred types of arthritis. The correct treatment depends on the correct diagnosis, which is why this issue must be resolved in the first place.
The main diseases in which joint pain occurs
The most common causes of joint pain are:
1. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease. Osteoarthritis is one of the most common types of arthritis. With age, elastic cartilage, which protects joints from injury and damage, loses its elasticity, hardens and becomes vulnerable. The cartilage wears away and the tendon ligaments stretch, resulting in pain. Osteoarthritis can affect any joint, but it is most common in the spine, knees, hips, and fingers.
Symptoms of osteoarthritis include bumps on the joints of the fingers and joint pain.
How is this disease treated? You cannot do without pain relievers and food supplements (chondroitin, aminoglucose). Certain changes in a person's lifestyle are also necessary, in particular, weight loss, which will lead to a decrease in the load on the joints.
2. Temporal arteritis (VA) and polymyalgia rheumatica (RPM) are inflammatory diseases that often accompany each other. VA is inflammation of the blood vessels of the head and eyes, and RPM affects large joints, mainly the shoulder and hip joints. Both diseases result from an attack by the immune system of healthy tissues.
The symptoms of RP are: stiffness and pain in the hip and shoulder joints, weakness, weight loss, and fever. Often the sick person feels so weak that he does not even have the strength to get out of bed or raise his hand.
The most common symptom of VA is severe headache. If VA is left untreated, it can lead to irreversible pathologies such as blindness, stroke, and transient ischemic attack.
The cause of these diseases is unclear. It is known that they are most often found among the inhabitants of Northern Europe and Scandinavia. In these diseases, the correct diagnosis is very important, and the treatment methods are unambiguous (steroid, prednisone).
3. Rheumatoid arthritis is a type of arthritis when joint inflammation develops symmetrically in both parts of the body, which makes it easier to diagnose. The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are as follows: weakness, stiffness, joint pain.
Some scientists believe that this disease occurs as a result of the influence of bacteria and viruses on the body's immune system, which, in turn, attacks the joints and other organs.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a very dangerous disease that can lead to death. The key to a quick and successful recovery is timely diagnosis and intensive therapy. These two factors can prolong a person's life and prevent disability.
4. Depression. In addition to a bad mood, symptoms of depression can also be joint pain, pain in the abdomen, back, and headache. Moreover, the physical symptoms of depression can last much longer than the psychological symptoms.
In general, depression significantly increases a person's susceptibility to pain, so it is important that a person seeks medical and psychological help in a timely manner.
5. Fibromyalgia is a chronic disease that causes tenderness and pain in many spots on the body, as well as weakness and insomnia.
The cause of this disease is unknown. It is only known that the disease is definitely not associated with injuries to joints, nerves and muscles. According to one theory, fibromyalgia is closely related to the hypersensitivity of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. Another theory is that fibromyalgia results from an imbalance in chemicals in the body that affect pain perception and mood. This imbalance results in insomnia, pain and sensitivity, decreased activity and weakness.
Fibromyalgia is incurable, so treatment is primarily aimed at relieving pain, depression, weakness, and other manifestations that prevent patients from living a normal life.
To get rid of insomnia, the doctor prescribes antidepressants to the patient, since other hypnotics for fibromyalgia are not very effective. Anti-inflammatory drugs (naproxen, ibuprofen) are also prescribed to help reduce pain. Treatment should be carried out under constant medical supervision.
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