Joint Pain : Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

Originally posted on September 28, 2022 @ 4:04 pm

Joint pain is discomfort in between bones and joint. Bone  help you and aid in movement. Any joint damage brought on by illness or trauma can restrict your movement and be quite painful.

Causes of Joint Pain

In particular, as you become older, joint pain is rather typical. In a national study, over one-third of adults said they had had joint discomfort in the previous 30 days. The most commonly reported ailment was knee pain, followed by shoulder and hip pain. But any region of your body, from your ankles and feet to your shoulders and wrists, might experience joint discomfort.

Joint discomfort can result from a variety of conditions:

• The most prevalent kind of arthritis is osteoarthritis, a “wear and tear” condition.
• A condition known as rheumatoid arthritis results from the body’s attacking its own tissues.

• Bursitis is an inflammation of the fluid-filled sacs that cushion your joints.
• Your big toe joint is typically affected by the arthritic condition known as gout.
• injuries such as sprains, strains, and others.

Most of the time, pain is accompanied by stiffness, irritation, and a loss of range of motion.

Treatments for Joint Pain

Joint pain can be anything from hardly bothersome to incapacitating. It could be brief (acute) and gone after a few weeks, or it might continue for a while (chronic). Your quality of life might be impacted by even temporary joint discomfort and swelling. Whatever the underlying reason for your joint pain, you can typically address it with medicine, physical therapy, or complementary therapies.

The issue that is causing your joint discomfort will be the first thing your doctor attempts to identify and treat. The objective is to lessen discomfort and inflammation while maintaining joint function. Treatment choices comprise

Medications For Joint Pain

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, celecoxib, ibuprofen, or naproxen, are available over-the-counter or on prescription to treat moderate to severe joint discomfort with swelling. The side effects of NSAIDs may increase your risk of gastrointestinal bleeding.

Acetaminophen may help if your discomfort is minimal and there is no swelling. However, if you consume alcohol, you should use caution when taking this medication as high amounts could harm your liver. Any of these painkillers should be used cautiously due to the hazards.

 

A stronger opioid medicine may be prescribed by your doctor if your pain is so severe that NSAIDs are ineffective in controlling it. Opioid medicines should only be used when prescribed by a doctor because they can make you sleepy. Additionally, they could lead to constipation, which you can treat with laxatives.

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These additional medicines may also be used to treat pain:

• Muscle relaxants can be used to treat muscle spasms (they can be combined with NSAIDs to have a stronger effect).

• Several antiepileptic and depressive medications (which both interfere with pain signals)

Topical Agent

An ingredient in chili peppers called capsaicin may help with illnesses like arthritis and other conditions that cause joint discomfort. Capsaicin inhibits substance P, which aids in the transmission of pain signals and also causes the body to release endorphins, which act as painkillers. Burning or stinging in the region where the cream is applied are potential side effects of capsaicin. A topical treatment for arthritis is a lotion that contains the active ingredient methyl salicylate.

Injections For Foot Pain

If oral or topical painkillers don’t work to ease joint pain, a doctor may suggest getting an injection.

• Steroids Every 3 to 4 months, they might most frequently inject a steroid medicine directly into the joint (which may also include a local anesthetic). Patients with tendinitis or arthritis are the ones who typically receive steroid injections. If steroid injections cover up an injury, you risk overusing the joint and causing more damage. The methods work, though their effects may be transient in many cases.
• Treatment with platelet-rich plasma Your blood is used to create platelet-rich plasma (PRP), which is then administered by injection to your aching joints. Many platelets and proteins that have anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating properties are present in your joints.
• Prolotherapy An irritant (typically a sugar solution) is repeatedly injected into the tendons, ligaments, and joints in this procedure. According to the notion, the injections encourage the repair of wounded tissues on the spot. A treatment plan might involve getting 15–20 shots once a month for 3–4 months.

Other injection choices include

• This clears the joint of fluid (and is often done in connection with a steroid injection).
• Injections of hyaluronic, a manufactured version of joint fluid. Osteoarthritis is handled by using this.

Physical Treatment of Joint Pain

In order to increase your range of motion, stabilize the joint, and strengthen the surrounding muscles, you can work with a physical therapist. The therapist may use techniques like massage, ultrasound, heat or cold therapy, electrical nerve stimulation, and so on.

Losing weight can help your sore joints by relieving some of the pressure. Exercise is an efficient strategy to reduce weight (together with diet), but you should be careful to just do low-impact exercises that won’t aggravate your joints any worse. Bicycling and swimming are two of the best activities since they both let you use your joints without placing stress on them. Swimming also helps to reduce pressure on your joints since water is buoyant.

Home Care of Joint Pain

With a few easy home remedies, you can reduce momentary joint pain. The abbreviation PRICE refers to one technique.

• Put on a brace or bandage to safeguard the joint.
• Avoid engaging in any painful activities while giving the joint some rest.
• Repeatedly throughout the day, ice the joint for around 15 minutes.
• Apply an elastic wrap to the joint to compress it.
• Raise the joint so that it is higher than your heart.

Your sore joints may feel better by using ice to reduce discomfort and swelling. Use a heating pad or wrap several times a day for muscular spasms near joints. Keeping the joint immobile for an extended period of time might cause it to stiffen up and lose its ability to function. Therefore, your doctor may advise you to tape or splint the joint to limit movement or relieve pain.

Different Therapies

Supplements containing glucosamine and chondroitin have been shown to reduce joint discomfort and enhance function. These two compounds are parts of healthy cartilage, which helps to cushion the bones and safeguard joints. There are liquid, tablet, powder, and capsule forms of glucosamine and chondroitin supplements. Although not all people can benefit from these supplements, it is safe to try them because there aren’t any serious adverse effects.

When to Contact a Doctor

If the pain becomes severe, your joint suddenly becomes inflamed or distorted, or you are unable to move the joint at all, get medical attention right away, regardless of the course of treatment you are taking.