Joint pain is a specific unpleasant sensation that indicates a pathological process in the joint itself or the tissues around it.According to statistics, about 55% of people over 45 go to the doctor with such complaints.And after 70 years, this symptom occurs in 90% of patients.Why do unpleasant sensations occur?What should you do if your joints hurt a lot?Which specialist should I contact for help?
Why can joints hurt?
Painful sensations in the joints are the result of irritation of the nerve endings that extend from the joint capsule.Due to a fairly developed network of blood vessels and good innervation, the joint is able to respond to pain reactions to various irritating factors (including toxins, salt crystals).
The main causes of joint pain:
- mechanical damage (as a result of injury or surgery);
- soft tissue diseases (adhesive capsulitis, myalgia, tendinopathy);
- osteoarthritis;
- arthritis (post-traumatic, gout, psoriasis);
- autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis);
- benign and malignant tumors;
- damage to nerve trunks.
Many people associate joint pain with changing weather conditions.But in 2016, researchers from Colling University in Australia published a paper that completely refuted this claim.Over three hundred volunteers took part in the study: each of them recorded pain for 3-4 months.It turned out that neither the occurrence of pain nor its intensity was associated with changes in atmospheric pressure or temperature changes.
Which doctor should I contact for help?
When your joints hurt, you must seek help from a specialist as soon as possible.If the cause of the discomfort is associated with an injury (bruising, displacement or fracture of varying degrees), you should visit an orthopedic traumatologist.In other cases, you should seek help from a rheumatologist.To accurately identify the cause of pain and prescribe treatment, diagnostic procedures will be necessary:
- radiography of the joint;
- ultrasound examination;
- MRI or CT (only if indicated);
- joint puncture (if there is an accumulation of fluid inside the joint);
- arthroscopy.
How to reduce joint pain?
To get rid of discomfort in the joints, you can use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.They reduce the severity of pain and relieve swelling.Anti-inflammatory ointments, creams and gels applied to the affected joint have the same effect.
For degenerative joint diseases (osteoarthritis), chondroprotectors are indicated, which slow down the process of cartilage tissue destruction.They are also available in the form of capsules, ointments and gels, tablets and intra-articular injections.
Regular therapeutic exercises also have a good effect.Correctly selected exercises can help you get rid of pain and stiffness, as well as restore mobility to your joints.Physiotherapy procedures can be used as additional treatment methods: massage, magnetic therapy, electrophoresis with various drugs.