What to do if the joints hurt - treatment, full description of the causes of the pain

In the last few decades, not only the elderly have complained of joint pain, but also the category of people whose age has barely reached 35 years. There is no exact information as to why this happens, but the problem is becoming more urgent every year and concerns more and more people.

Introduction

If the joints hurt, then the problem should not be attributed to factors such as weather changes, magnetic storms, hypothermia, heavy physical work. This problem has completely different causes.

So, why do joints hurt, what can cause joint pain, how to treat sick joints - this article is all about it.

Painful joints can manifest themselves in several ways: at first only discomfort, then cracking (crunching), then numbness and tingling, and only then the pain begins to manifest itself in different ways: backache, sipping, burning sensation. Joint pain is not a harmless phenomenon, its causes can be very different.

Causes of pain

Why there may be pain in the joint is determined by the nature and localization of the pain.

• In the case of infectious diseases (tonsillitis, bronchitis), joint pain pulls and hurts, usually not one joint suffers, but several at the same time.
• When the body is poisoned (for example, in the case of mushroom or alcohol poisoning), aching pains affect several joints at the same time.
• With the worsening of chronic diseases (cholecystitis, tonsillitis), joint pains are fluid, i. e. they can occur in one place and move to another.
• In case of inflammation, joint pain is acute, shooting and stabbing. Usually one joint hurts, in rare cases more.

Thus, the causes of joint pain can be different: infectious, inflammatory, poisoning and chronic. At the same time, if the cause is not traumatological, rheumatological or orthopedic, joint pain is far from the only disturbing symptom. Other signs of human health are mixed with them:

• An increase in body temperature;
• Fever;
• Runny nose;
• rupture;
• Loss of appetite;
• Rattling in the chest;
• Nausea and vomiting;
• Diarrhea;
• White coating on tonsils and tongue;
• loss of voice;

This is not a complete list of all signs that may occur.

Pain with musculoskeletal problems

When various diseases of the musculoskeletal system cause joint pain, it's time to figure out which joint is unhealthy and what to do about it.

Joint pain due to traumatological (and related) causes is completely different from others. Generally, in such cases, the symptoms may be:

• Swelling and redness of the affected area.
• The sore spot is painful and hot to the touch.
• Pain in any particular joint.

• Fever.
• Numbness and stiffness in movements.
• Sharp, penetrating pain during movement and sometimes at rest.
• Joint deformity.

So, orthopedic causes of joint pain can be the following diseases:

• Rheumatoid arthritis;
• Arthritis (polyarthritis);
• Arthrosis (polyarthrosis);
• Rheumatic polyarthritis;
• Gout;
• meniscus tear;
• Rupture of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus;
• Functional joint pain;

Brief information about diseases

Joint pain occurs for various reasons, sometimes it can be a symptom of a non-rheumatological (traumatic) disease if it is caused by infections. In such cases, it is pointless to treat the joints without eliminating the source of the infection. The pain goes away, but then all the symptoms return again. Joint pain usually disappears when the infectious process is suppressed.

Another, most common reason why the joints hurt is the pathological processes taking place in them, or the injuries suffered.

1. Rheumatic arthritis (polyarthritis)- a disease whose catalyst is serious infectious diseases: tonsillitis, rubella, influenza, brucellosis. Generally, large joints are affected, while the lesion is symmetrical: two elbow or knee joints at the same time. Joint pain is accompanied by high fever and fever in the period of exacerbation, which practically does not occur in other joint diseases.

2. Arthrosis (polyarthrosis)- pathological processes that lead to partial or complete destruction of cartilage (with advanced forms of the disease). Joint pain is accompanied by damage to the motor activity of the joint. The symptoms of arthrosis and arthritis are similar, but there is one difference: the sore spot associated with arthritis hurts during movement, which cannot be said about arthritis (with it, the joint hurts even at rest).
3. Arthritis- degenerative processes occurring in the joint, which are associated with inflammation and deformation of the joint tissue.
4. Gout- violation of calcium and salt metabolism in the body, as a result of which growths appear on the joint, which become inflamed and painful. Characteristic features - pain at night.
5. meniscus tear- Injury to the knee (or scapula), which is associated with a violation of the integrity of the meniscus. In such cases, the pain occurs in the knee and returns to it, when moving, you can hear a crackling in the joints.
6. Functional joint pain occurs whennervous system disorders, there is no point in doing anything with the articulation, since the problem must be looked for elsewhere. When it stops, the discomfort goes away.

This is, of course, an incomplete list of why the joints hurt, but these are the most common reasons. Only the doctor can decide what to do in such situations after a thorough examination and diagnosis.

Treatment

The treatment of joint pain is more of a secondary task, the first goal is usually to eliminate the inflammation and the causes of their development.

It is important for the patient to understand that self-medication will not help him in any way and will only delay the treatment process, making the situation worse.A person in pain just needs to see a doctor.If it happens that the feeling of stiffness and pain in the joints appeared at night and does not allow you to fall asleep, you can drink an anesthetic and rub it with a warming ointment as needed.

The doctor only begins the treatment of joint pain after a thorough examination, obtaining the results of the examination and establishing a diagnosis.

Most orthopedic diseases are treated with traditional methods, and surgical methods are used only as a last resort, when long-term drug treatment has proven ineffective.

Medical treatment (conservative method)

In this case, conservative methods are the most popular.

No treatment for such diseases was complete without an appointment:

• Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are used in various dosage forms: ointments, injections, tablets, patches, suppositories. At the same time, it is not uncommon for the doctor to decide to prescribe several NSAIDs at the same time: injections and ointments, tablets and ointment suppositories. The admission process is very long, the treatment conditions are determined taking into account the individual characteristics of the person: age, physical. When prescribing, the presence of other diseases, contraindications, and possible side effects must be taken into account.
• Pain relieversused in different dosage forms. Strong injections are prescribed for severe pain syndrome, if it hurts slightly, you can get by with tablets, warming ointments, and plasters.

If NSAIDs have not helped, see:

1. Corticosteroidswhich have both advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of treatment with these drugs are that the effect is achieved much faster than non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as the absence of hormones that do not have a very favorable effect on the body as a whole and have unpleasant consequences. hormonal imbalance, in the form of weight gain. Therefore, doctors are in no hurry to prescribe corticosteroids.
2. Chondroprotectors, which are injected into the affected area to optimize synovial fluid levels, normalize friction, pressure and joint movement.

After completing the drug treatment, you can continue with folk remedies.

Fix the treatment:

• Massage therapy;
• Gymnastics, swimming;
• Physiotherapy.

An important role is played in the prevention of recurrence of the disease, for which twice a year prophylactic treatment is carried out in the form of taking vitamins.and NSAIDs.

Operating methods

If the conservative treatment proved to be ineffective and the joint still hurts, then surgery is prescribed, which is performed depending on the degree of tissue damage and the diagnosis. If this is arthrosis in the third stage, then it is worth performing a prosthesis, that is, replacing the articulation with an artificial one. If we are talking about a tear of the meniscus, it is sewn together with the help of special stitches. In any case, the doctors do everything possible to avoid surgery, and the pain, whatever it is, is gone.

Conclusion

Thus, the joint can hurt for various reasons, there can be infectious and neurological problems. Joint pain is the main cause of pain. Don't ignore the pain, try to heal yourself, or numb the pain with painkillers.

There are two main methods of tissue treatment:

1. conservative method.
2. Operative treatment method.

It is quite rare that surgical methods begin treatment immediately, without using conservative methods. However, such cases also occur, for example, when a person is immobilized and the degeneration processes are at a stage where it is no longer necessary to treat them with drugs. In such cases, it hurts so much that a person may lose consciousness from the intensity of the pain.