Joints are the connection pointe between various bones, they are the main support for you to move and walk around. Even minor damage to the joints can be quite dangerous, as it can cause a hindrance in your day to day movements. Not to mention it causes an immense amount of pain.
There can be many underlying reasons for joint pains, which can be anything, such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, bursitis, gout, strains, sprains, and other injuries. Joint pain leaves a person in immense pain and can also lead to damaged mental health due to a lack of independence.
Many times, people experience joint pains because of arthritis of several different kinds. Other times, it might be due to fibromyalgia or an underlying but ready to be active thyroid pain. Sometimes pains can occur regardless of underlying conditions.
Joint pain can range from different levels, such as mild ache to a full-fledged blown out burning, or even a sharp painful sensation in either one or more than one joint.
What Causes Joint Pain?
Arthritis
Arthritis is one of the most common reasons for joint pain. There are two basic types of arthritis, known as osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). According to medical research, OA is usually present in men and women who are over the age of 40.
It is found in the joints connecting wrists, hips, knees, and hands. It is because of the breaking of cartilage, which acts as a cushion and shock controller for these joints.
RA is quite common among Americans and it generally affects women more than it affects men. It can breakdown and then debilitate different joints over a passage of time. RA is responsible for extreme pain, severe inflammation, and excess fluid buildup in joints. It also attacks the immune system and makes it prone to active germs.
Other Causes
There are several other causes for joint pains, such as:
- Inflammation in the cushioning pads
- Inpus
- Gout
- Mumps, hepatitis, or influenza
- Breaking of cartilage in knees or elbows
- Playground injuries
- Inflammation in the tendon
- Bone or joint infection
- Excessive usage of the joint
- Cancer
- Fibromyalgia
- Osteoporosis
- Sarcoidosis
- Rickets
Diagnoses
For the diagnoses, you should most probably visit a doctor before trying anything out at home. Not only can it worsen the situation, but it can also cause many more problems.
When you visit a doctor, they will perform a small physical exam on your joints. They will ask you about the medical history and questions about the joint pain. This will enable them to find out the potential underlying cause.
However, an X-ray will be necessary to find out what exactly is the issue.
Sometimes, there might be some other problem, for which the doctor might prescribe a blood test. This is necessary to detect any autoimmune disorder. There might even be a sedimentation rate to correctly identify the inflammation level or the blood count.
Medical treatment
The treatment varies depending on the level of pain. Sometimes, the condition can be treated with home remedies and rest. Other times, you might require some series of medical help. However, medical treatments, such as joint surgery is very rare.
