Joint pain is a specific unpleasant feeling that indicates a pathological process in the joint area or the tissues surrounding it.According to statistics, about 55% of people over 45 years old come to the doctor with such complaints.And after 70 years, this symptom occurs in 90% of patients.Why does the feeling of discomfort arise?What to do if your joints hurt a lot?Which professional should I contact for help?
Why can joints be damaged?
Pain in the joints is the result of stimulation of nerve endings extending from the joint capsule.Due to the rather developed vascular network and good innervation, the joint is able to react with pain reactions to various irritants (including toxins, salt crystals).
Main causes of joint pain:
- mechanical damage (due to trauma or surgery);
- soft tissue disease (adhesive capsulitis, myalgia, tendinitis);
- osteoarthritis;
- arthritis (post-traumatic, gout, psoriasis);
- autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis);
- Benign and malignant tumors;
- damage to nerves.
Many people associate joint pain with changing weather conditions.However, in 2016, scientists from Colling University in Australia published a paper that completely refuted this claim.More than three hundred volunteers participated in the study: each of them noted pain lasting 3-4 months.It turns out that neither the occurrence nor the intensity of the pain is related to changes in barometric pressure or temperature.
Which doctor should I contact for help?
When your joints are seriously damaged, you need to seek help from a specialist as soon as possible.If the cause of discomfort is related to trauma (bruises, dislocations or fractures of varying degrees), you need to see an orthopedic traumatologist.In other cases, you need to seek help from a rheumatologist.To accurately determine the cause of pain and prescribe treatment, diagnostic procedures will be required:
- arthrography;
- ultrasound examination;
- MRI or CT (only when indicated);
- joint perforation (if there is an accumulation of fluid inside the joint);
- arthroscopy.
How to reduce joint pain?
To get rid of joint discomfort, you can use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.They reduce the severity of pain and reduce swelling.Anti-inflammatory ointments, creams and gels applied to the affected joints have the same effect.
For degenerative joint diseases (bone and joint diseases), cartilage-protecting drugs are prescribed, which help slow down the process of destruction of cartilage tissue.They are also available in capsules, ointments and gels, tablets and intra-articular injections.
Regular therapeutic exercises are also beneficial.Correctly selected exercises can help you get rid of pain and stiffness, as well as restore joint mobility.Physiotherapeutic procedures can be used as additional methods of treatment: massage, magnetic therapy, electrophoresis with various drugs.