Joint pain (arthralgia) is an important symptom in diagnosing a variety of diseases. She was the first to say that serious changes had begun at the junction of bones.
Normally, in arthralgia, there is no swelling, curvature, intense pain on feeling, redness. Significant mobility restrictionsbig togetherthe patient does not complain either. It also turns out that even an X-ray does not allow us to see signs of inflammation. But that doesn't make arthralgia (joint pain) innocent.symptom:it can signal serious organic damage and even diseases unrelated to the state of the joint itself.
As the statistics show,painvhand jointsand every second person over 40 starts to disturb their legs. For those who have passed the 70-year milestone,illnessesthe musculoskeletal system is even more common - in 90% of cases.
Causes of joint pain
One of the mainreasonsthe problem is infectionacuteinfection.Sorepain can occur either before the onset of the disease's first symptoms or in its early stages. with an infectious lesionpainsall joints in the body. . . Mobility is preserved in them.
post-infectioussharpjoint pain is felt after:
- urogenital infections;
- intestinal diseases.
Causes of the disease also include: secondary syphilis, tuberculosis, endocarditis. If the human body has outbreaks of chronic infections - in the bile ducts, kidneys, pelvic organs, with parasitic infections - it can alsojoint pain. . .
Arthralgia (joint pain) usually confirms the presence of rheumatic diseases. In this case, the painful syndrome is associated with changes in weather conditions. More often, the patient experiences severe discomfort in the large joints of the lower extremities. In the morning, he suffers from not being able to get up immediately and walk quickly - because of pain and a stiff feeling in his joints.
If the pain is paroxysmal, it appears unexpectedly, intensifies during the day and persists for several days, whilepainsonly one joint, gouty arthritis can be suspected (uric acid crystals accumulate in joint structures).
If the pain grows very slowly, affecting large joints that are subject to stress (most often knee or hip), increasing with physical exertion and/or accompanied by morning stiffness, we can assume the development of osteoarthritis (the old name for osteoarthritis ), ie, degenerative dystrophic processes in the joint.
Common causes of joint pain:
- thyroid gland pathology;
- climate dependence;
- heavy metal poisoning;
- frequent physical injury;
- long-term use of certain medications;
Joint Pain Classification
There are several classifications of joint pain. According to the location criteria, there are:
- monoarthralgia (only one joint is affected);
- oligoarthralgia (painsimultaneously differenttogether - but no more than five);
- polyarthralgia (discomfort is present in more than 5 joints in the body).
Furthermore, taking into account the location of the joints, arthralgias are general and localized. Due to the nature of the lesion, the pathology can be non-inflamed and inflamed.
The pain that manifests in diseases of the musculoskeletal system is conventionally divided into:
- starting (appears at the very beginning of the movement);
- mechanics (a consequence of exercise, long walk, running);
- reflected (marked in areas where, in fact, there are no pathological changes);
- night (disturbance during night rest).
More joint pain can be:
- opaque and sharp;
- permanent and transitory;
- weak, moderate and intense.
Post-inflammatory and pseudoarthralgias are differentiated into separate groups.
Joint Pain Diagnosis
To understandwhy leg joints hurt,hands, the doctor prescribes the patient to undergo a series of diagnostic procedures. To start with, lab tests are done:
- General blood analysis. It allows detecting deviations, taking into account the nature of the joint injury and the degree of its severity. An increase in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, confirming the presence of inflammation, with a normal number of leukocytes is a sign of rheumatic pathology. If the white blood cells, on the other hand, are increased, pain predominates in the spine and in individual joints, the nature of the disease is more likely to be infectious.
- Blood chemistry. In the case of joint inflammation, they look at levels of C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, total protein, seromucoid, diphenylamine reaction, and some other indicators that confirm a rheumatic diagnosis.
In addition, the following exams can be assigned:
- Radiography. It is mandatory in painful joints, as the doctor cannot make differential diagnoses and assess the degree of damage to the skeletal system without photos.
- Computed tomography. Used to study the location of inflamed areas.
- Immunoelectrophoresis. An additional type of diagnosis, showing how far the rheumatoid arthritis has spread.
- Arthroscopy. During the procedure, a specialist visually examines the structure of the knee joint, its structure, and takes a tissue sample from the desired area.
- Radionuclide scan. Effective in the early stages of joint disease.
- Arthrography. The doctor injects special contrast agents into the joint (contrast cannot be used). A change in the initial picture allows him to assess the presence of affected sections in hard-to-reach parts of the joint.
If the doctor deems it necessary, a biopsy is performed.
Joint Pain Treatment
Treatmentarthralgia will only be effective if doctors discover the cause of the symptom, establish the development of which disease it signals. To relieve inflammation, the patient may be prescribed:
- Hondoprotectors. They slow down the progression of osteoarthritis, block further articular cartilage destruction, and reduce inflammation. An example of such drugs from this group are combined preparations containing 2 cartilage components, chondroitin and glucosamine in therapeutic dosages, chondroitin sulfate 1200 mg, glucosamine 1500 mg, capsule release form. These components activate the cartilage's regenerative processes, due to which the pain gradually disappears, the patient's condition improves.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Eliminate pain, prevent the spread of inflammatory reactions. Normalize body temperature.
- Muscle relaxants. Designed to minimize skeletal muscle stiffness.
- Antibacterial drugs. Used for arthritis of an infectious nature.
- Vitamin and mineral complexes. For normal joint function and early recovery, vitamins A, E, C, group B are needed. Selenium, calcium, etc.
- Hormones, steroids. They are used if the joint is severely inflamed and drug treatment is ineffective.
Parallel to taking pills, intramuscular and intravenous administration of medications, warming, analgesic and anti-inflammatory ointments can be prescribed to the patient.
If the pain is unbearable, a nerve block can be performed. During the procedure, powerful medications are used that help to forget about the symptoms of arthralgia for a long time.
Additional methods of treating joint pain include:
- physiotherapy exercises;
- massage;
- manual therapy;
- mechanotherapy;
- pulling joints with special equipment;
- diet.
From the physiotherapy procedures, the patient is shown:
- Shockwave therapy;
- ozone therapy;
- phonophoresis;
- myostimulation and some others.
Surgery
In difficult cases, it is impossible to eliminate discomfort in the area of one or several joints at the same time using non-invasive methods. Then the patient is advised to undergo surgery. This can be:
- Arthroscopic debridement. The surgeon makes small incisions and, through them, removes dead tissue from the joint cavity. The operation involves the use of modern endoscopic equipment.
- Puncture. Using a special needle, the doctor removes accumulated fluid from the joint.
- Periarticular osteotomy. To reduce the load and improve mobility in the affected joint, the doctor files the joint bones so that they grow together at an angle.
- Endoprosthesis. A very serious operation, which is only done if it is no longer possible to restore the joint. Then a prosthesis is installed.
The doctor decides which joint pain treatment method is right for a particular patient on an individual basis, taking into account age, history, symptoms, and certain other factors.
Prophylaxis
To prevent joint damage, you need to pay close attention to proper nutrition. All essential vitamins and minerals must be present in the daily diet. Junk food must be discarded. It is necessary to drink about 2 liters of clean water a day - this has a positive effect on the functioning of the musculoskeletal system.
It's also important:
- don't cool too much;
- have an active lifestyle;
- refuse from bad habits;
- sleep at least 8 hours a day;
- take regular outdoor walks;
- avoid staying in the same position for too long.
If there is joint discomfort, an examination is needed. It is impossible to self-medicate if an inflammatory process is suspected.