joint pain

Joint pain or arthralgia occurs in many diseases, but its mechanisms are not fully understood to date. Joint elements (ligaments, cartilage, joint capsule, bones) possess pain receptors and respond to inflammatory processes and mechanical stimuli. During exercise, joint receptors are stimulated and the signals they send enter the brain, causing pain. During inflammation, receptors become more sensitive to any stimulus as cells of the immune system release pain-transmitting substances.Typically, joint pain is not accompanied by swelling, contour deformity, or redness of the surrounding soft tissues. The pain is moderate when the joint is palpated. In some cases, there are no obvious signs of inflammation on X-rays. No one complained of a significant loss of mobility in the large joints.Joint pain often accompanies rheumatic diseases. In this case, your joints will become sore when the weather changes. Severe discomfort in the knee and hip joints is more common. In the morning, the patient was unable to get up immediately and walk at a certain speed due to joint stiffness and pain.If the joint pain is paroxysmal, comes on suddenly, worsens within a day, lasts for several days, and is painful in only one joint, then we can assume that gouty arthritis is present. Uric acid crystals accumulate in joint tissue and irritate the tissue, causing pain.Degenerative dystrophic changes - osteoarthritis can be diagnosed if joint pain occurs in large joints (knees, hips), develops slowly, becomes stronger during manual labor, and is accompanied by stiffness in the morning.

reason

There are many causes of joint pain. One of the most common causes of joint pain is acute infection. Joint aches and pains may appear before the first signs of the disease or in the early stages. Often, during the course of the infection, it destroys joints throughout the body. At the same time, their range of motion did not change.Severe post-infectious joint pain occurs during genitourinary and intestinal infections.The joints suffer from secondary syphilis, endocarditis, and tuberculosis. If there are chronic infections in the body, such as the kidneys, bile ducts, pelvic organs, parasitic diseases, then joint pain will also occur.Common causes of joint pain include:

• Thyroid disease.
• Heavy metal salt poisoning.
• Bodily harm.
• Long-term use of certain medications.

I am concerned about joint pain due to various illnesses. They are divided into 2 main groups:

• Arthritis is an inflammatory disease of the joints caused by infection, autoimmune processes, endocrine gland and metabolic dysfunction.
• Arthropathy is a disease associated with the destruction of joint cartilage and the underlying articular surfaces of the bones. Over time, cartilage becomes rough, loses elasticity, and develops cracks.

The classification of joint diseases into arthritis and arthropathy is conditional. If left untreated, arthritis will eventually turn into arthrosis, as the inflammatory process disrupts cartilage metabolism. They don't get enough nutrients and quickly lose weight and gradually collapse.Arthropathy is initially associated with physical overload of the joints, with inflammation developing over time. It is caused by the accumulation of fragments of cartilage and bone tissue in the joint cavity and triggering an inflammatory response. Risk groups for developing this pathology include:

• Women during menopause.
• Older people who experience significant age-related changes in their bodies.
• Obese patients.
• Patients with a history of joint trauma.
• athlete.
• People who engage in certain professions. For example, people who stand for long periods of time (teachers, surgeons, hairdressers, etc. ) often suffer damage to their knee joints. Hand joint pain is a common symptom among musicians, cashiers, and loaders alike who perform monotonous bimanual movements.

type

There are different classifications of joint pain. According to the location of joint pain, it can be divided into:

• Monarthralgia (pain in 1 joint).
• Oligoarthritis (affecting 2-5 joints).
• Polyarthralgia (pain in more than 5 joints).

Depending on the location of the joint, joint pain is divided into generalized joint pain and localized joint pain.The nature of joint pain is:

1. Sharp and dark.
2. Temporary and permanent.
3. Weak, Moderate and Strong.

The characteristics and conditions under which joint pain develops depend on the diagnosis. The most common symptoms of joint pain are:

• start.Joint pain occurs when you first start walking and then goes away as you move. It is related to friction on the joint surfaces of bones, which are covered with damaged cartilage tissue. After a few steps, the lump accumulates in the inversion of the joint capsule and the joint pain disappears.
• pain.They appear after physical activity in the joint and disappear after rest.
• night.They confirmed that the joints were severely damaged, caused by congestion, where blood presses against the bone tissue beneath the cartilage. After a night's sleep, the joints will feel stiff. If you move around, the discomfort will disappear.
• Everlasting.Occurs when there is inflammation of the joint capsule.
• Sudden (joint blockade). Caused by compression of a piece of bone or cartilage that is trapped between two joint surfaces.
• migrate.First there is pain in one joint, then the pain moves to another joint.
• reflect.They are felt not in the affected joint but in nearby joints. For example, if you have hip disease, you may experience pain in your knees.

diagnosis

If you suffer from joint pain, you should not self-medicate. If you have joint pain, be sure to consult a doctor to determine a diagnosis. After the primary examination, he will refer you to an orthopedic traumatologist or rheumatologist for consultation. If a previously injured joint becomes diseased, a consultation with a surgeon is required. When seeing your doctor, it is important to discuss the following points:

• When pain occurs.
• The pain has since lessened and subsided.
• How often do pain attacks occur?
• Joint pain occurs for the first time or has existed previously.
• Whether the joints are congested, swollen or deformed.
• Have you had stress, acute respiratory illness, or strenuous physical activity in recent days?

This information will help experts draw conclusions about the patient's joint condition and make a diagnosis.After determining the nature of your joint pain, your doctor will perform tests and make referrals:

• General blood and urinalysis.
• Blood Chemistry.
• Immunodiagnosis.
• Joint X-ray, CT, MRI, ultrasound.
• If necessary, a biopsy of the damaged tissue is performed.

X-rays of joints. This method allows you to examine the joint in two projections and allows for radiopaque arthrography.Using MRI and CT, you can evaluate in detail the condition of the osteochondral structures and soft tissues.Ultrasound examination of joints. Helps identify joint effusion, erosion of the articular surfaces of bones, changes in the synovium, and assesses the width of the joint space.Invasive testing methods. If necessary, perform joint aspiration and synovial biopsy. In difficult cases, arthroscopy (examination of the joint cavity from the inside) is performed.Laboratory tests can help identify signs of inflammation and rheumatic pathology. The levels of erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, uric acid, antinuclear antibodies, rheumatoid factor and ACCP in peripheral blood were measured. Microbiological and cytological analyzes of synovial fluid were performed.

treat

For joint pain, treatment should be comprehensive. Strategies include reducing mechanical loading on the joint, eliminating inflammation, and preventing progression of the underlying disease. This is the only way to slow cartilage degradation, maintain joint mobility, and improve the quality of life for people with joint pain.To relieve joint pain, the following is prescribed:

• Painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs.
• Physiotherapy (shock wave therapy, ozone therapy, muscle stimulation, phonophoresis).
• Therapeutic exercise.
• massage.
• acupuncture.
• Orthopedic or surgical correction.

Conservative treatment is with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which relieve pain and have anti-inflammatory effects. Chondroprotectants slow the progression of osteoarthritis. These medications can reduce inflammation and prevent further deterioration of joint cartilage. They include cartilage components - chondroitin, glucosamine. Chondroprotectants promote the recovery process of cartilage tissue.To eliminate skeletal muscle spasms, muscle relaxants are required.If the arthritis is associated with infection, antibiotics may be needed. In order to maintain good joint function and recovery process, it is also necessary to take a complex of vitamins and mineral elements. Vitamins A, C, E, B complex and the mineral elements calcium and selenium are especially important.If inflammation is severe and treatment is ineffective, glucocorticoid therapy is given according to the protocol.Medical treatment is supplemented by ointments with warming, analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects.If joint pain is severe, a nerve ending block is performed. To do this, they use powerful drugs that make you forget about joint pain for a long time.To relieve joint pain and protect joints from overload. Standing, lifting, and carrying heavy objects for long periods of time can put stress on the joints that greatly exceeds the allowable load and can cause cartilage damage.To prevent joint pain, follow these rules:

• Normalize your weight.
• Wear comfortable, low-heeled shoes; if you have flat feet, use orthotic insoles.
• Avoid mental emotional and physical overload.
• While working, change your body posture frequently and spend five minutes moving to relieve muscle tension.
• To stay physically active, choose moderate exercise. Alternate activity and rest.
• Perform regular exercises to reduce stress on your joints. For example, you can sit or lie down, bend and straighten your legs for 20-30 minutes, and perform "cycling" exercises. Rest for 7-10 minutes afterwards to improve blood circulation. These exercises help strengthen the cartilage of the leg joints.

Severe cases require surgical treatment. Through small incisions, the doctor will remove dead tissue from the joint cavity. If there is fluid in the joint, a puncture is performed.To relieve the load on the diseased joint and increase its mobility, a periarticular osteotomy is performed. The bones that form the joints are sawed off, and then they grow together at an angle.In severe cases, joint replacement surgery is required.

prevention

To avoid joint disease, follow these tips:

1. If you are obese, normalize your weight.
2. Drink at least 1. 5-1. 7 liters of water per day.
3. Avoid hypothermia.
4. Live an active lifestyle.
5. Avoid excessive drinking and smoking.
6. Night sleep should last at least 8 hours.
7. Take walks outdoors as often as possible.
8. Try changing body positions more often.

generalize

According to statistics, half of people over 40 years old suffer from joint pain in their upper and lower limbs. Among patients over 70 years old, joint disease occurs in 90% of cases. If joint pain occurs suddenly, seek medical attention immediately to find out the cause and treat it. Take care of your joints and engage in beneficial activities. Only physical activity can keep joints moving, even if the cartilage is damaged and movement causes discomfort.