Joint pain (arthralgia) is an important symptom in the diagnosis of various diseases. She was the first to say that serious changes were starting at the junction of the bones.
Usually with arthralgia there is no swelling, curvature, severe pain to the touch, redness. Significant restrictions on mobilitybig jointsneither is the patient complaining. Sometimes even an X-ray will not show signs of inflammation. But that doesn't make arthralgia (joint pain) innocent.symptom:it can signal severe organ damage and even diseases unrelated to the condition of the joint itself.
As the statistics show,painvhand jointsand one in two people over the age of 40 begins to have legs disturbance. For those who have crossed the threshold of 70 years,diseasesthe musculoskeletal system is even more common - in 90% of cases.
Causes of joint pain
One of the mainthe reasonsthe problem is infectionacuteinfection.Painfulpain can occur both before the onset of the first symptoms of the disease and at its onset. With an infectious lesionpainsall joints of the body. . . Mobility is preserved there.
Post-infectioussharpjoint pain is felt after:
- urogenital infections;
- intestinal diseases.
The causes of the disease also include: secondary syphilis, tuberculosis, endocarditis. If the human body has foci of chronic infections - in the bile ducts, kidneys, pelvic organs, with parasitic infections - it can alsojoint pain. . .
Arthralgia (joint pain) often confirms the presence of rheumatic diseases. In this case, the pain syndrome is associated with changes in weather conditions. Most often, the patient feels a strong discomfort in the large joints of the lower extremities. In the morning, he suffers from the fact that he cannot get up immediately and walk quickly - due to pain and a feeling of stiffness in the joints.
If the pain is paroxysmal, has occurred unexpectedly, has intensified during the day and persists for several days, whilepainssingle joint, gouty arthritis may be suspected (uric acid crystals build up in joint structures).
If the pain develops very slowly, affecting large joints that are under stress (most often knee or hip), increasing with physical exertion and / or accompanied by morning aches, we can assume the development of osteoarthritis (the old name of osteoarthritis), that is, degenerative-dystrophic processes in the joint.
Common causes of joint pain:
- pathology of the thyroid gland;
- dependence on weather conditions;
- heavy metal poisoning;
- frequent physical injuries;
- long-term use of certain drugs;
Classification of joint pain
There are several classifications of joint pain. Depending on the location criterion, there are:
- monoarthralgia (only one joint is affected);
- oligoarthralgia (painboth differentjoints - but not more than five);
- polyarthralgia (discomfort is present in more than 5 joints of the body).
Also, given the location of the joints, arthralgias are general and localized. By the nature of the lesion, the pathology may be non-inflamed and inflamed.
Pain that manifests itself in diseases of the musculoskeletal system is classically divided into:
- start (appears at the very beginning of the movement);
- mechanical (a consequence of exercise, long walking, running);
- reflected (marked in areas where, in fact, there are no pathological changes);
- night (disturbing during a night's rest).
More joint pain can be:
- dull and pointed;
- permanent and transient;
- weak, moderate and intense.
Post-inflammatory and pseudoarthralgias are distinguished into distinct groups.
Diagnosis of joint pain
Understandwhy do the joints of the legs hurt,hands, the doctor prescribes the patient to undergo a series of diagnostic procedures. To begin with, laboratory tests are carried out:
- General blood test. It makes it possible to detect deviations, taking into account the nature of the joint injury and its degree of severity. An increase in the rate of erythrocyte sedimentation, confirming the presence of inflammation, with a normal number of leukocytes is a sign of rheumatic pathology. If leukocytes, on the contrary, are increased, pain is predominant in the spine and individual joints, then most likely the nature of the disease is infectious.
- Blood chemistry. In the event of joint inflammation, they examine the levels of C reactive protein, fibrinogen, total protein, seromucus, diphenylamine reaction, as well as some other indicators that confirm a rheumatic diagnosis.
In addition, the following exams may be awarded:
- X-ray. It is mandatory for painful joints, since the doctor can not make a differential diagnosis and assess the degree of damage to the skeletal system without images.
- 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.
- Scanning for radionuclides. Effective in the early stages of joint diseases.
- Arthrography. The doctor injects special contrast agents inside the joint (the contrast medium should not be used). A change in the initial image allows him to judge the presence of affected sections in the hard-to-reach parts of the joint.
If the doctor deems it necessary, a biopsy is taken.
Treatment of joint pain
Processingarthralgia will only be effective if doctors find out the cause of the symptom, establish the development of the disease it signals. To relieve inflammation, the patient may be prescribed:
- Hondoprotectors. They slow the progression of osteoarthritis, block further destruction of joint cartilage and reduce inflammation. An example of such drugs from this group are combined preparations containing 2 components of cartilage, chondroitin and glucosamine in therapeutic doses, chondroitin sulfate 1200 mg, glucosamine 1500 mg, in capsule form. These components activate the processes of regeneration of cartilage, due to which the pain gradually disappears, the patient's condition improves.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Eliminates pain, prevents 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 the normal functioning of the joints and their early recovery, vitamins A, E, C, group B are necessary. Selenium, calcium, etc. are also important.
- Hormones, steroids. They are used if the joint is very inflamed and drug treatment is ineffective.
Along with taking tablets, intramuscular and intravenous administration of drugs, the patient may be prescribed warming, analgesic and anti-inflammatory ointments.
If the pain is unbearable, a nerve block can be done. During the procedure, strong drugs are used to help forget about the symptoms of arthralgia for a long time.
Other methods of treating joint pain include:
- physiotherapy exercises;
- massage;
- manual therapy;
- mechanotherapy;
- traction of the joints with the help of special equipment;
- diet.
From physiotherapy procedures, the patient is shown:
- Shock wave therapy;
- ozone therapy;
- phonophoresis;
- myostimulation and a few others.
Surgery
In difficult cases, it is not possible to eliminate discomfort in one or more joints at once using non-invasive methods. Then the patient is advised to undergo surgery. It could be :
- Arthroscopic debridement. The surgeon makes tiny 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 aspirates the accumulated fluid from the joint.
- Periarticular osteotomy. In order to reduce the load and improve the mobility of the affected joint, the doctor files the joint bones so that they grow together at a certain angle.
- Endoprostheses. A very serious operation, which is only used if it is no longer possible to restore the joint. Then a prosthesis is installed instead.
The doctor decides which method of joint pain treatment is indicated for a particular patient on an individual basis, taking into account age, history, symptoms and certain other factors.
Prophylaxis
To avoid damage to the joints, you need to pay maximum attention to good nutrition. All the essential vitamins and minerals must be present in the daily diet. Junk food should be thrown out. It is necessary to drink about 2 liters of drinking water per day - this has a positive effect on the work of the musculoskeletal system.
It is also important:
- do not overcool;
- lead an active life;
- refuse bad habits;
- sleep at least 8 hours a day;
- take regular walks in the fresh air;
- avoid staying in one position for a long time.
If there is discomfort in the joint, it is necessary to undergo an examination. It is impossible to self-medicate if an inflammatory process is suspected.