Joint Pain, Causes, Signs and Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment.
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Chapters
0:00 Introduction
1:00 Causes of Joint pain
2:21 Symptoms of Joint pain
2:59 Diagnosis of Joint pain
3:45 Treatment of Joint pain
Joint pain refers to any discomfort, aches, and soreness in any of the body’s joint.
• Joints are part of the body that form connections between bones.
• They provide support and allow the bones of the skeleton to move.
• They are found in skull, shoulder, hips, elbow, knees, fingers, toes, neck, and wrist
• Pain within the joint is the common cause of shoulder pain, knee pain, ad ankle pain.
• Joint pain may last for a few weeks or last for several weeks or months.
• Joint pain may be mild, causing soreness only after certain activities or it can be severe, making movement extremely painful.
• Joint pain can affect the quality of life.
• Joint pain increases with age.
CAUSES
Any damage from injury or disease affecting any part of the joint including cartilage, ligaments, bursae or tendons can interfere with movement and cause a lot of pain. The common causes are:
• Bone cancer
• Broken bone
• Sprains and strains
• Ankylosing Spondylitis
• Bone infection
• Cold and flu
• Rheumatic fever
• Bursitis
• Dislocations
• Fractures
• Lupus
• Leukemia
• Rickets
• Tendinitis
• Sarcoidosis
• Arthritis including rheumatoid arthritis, viral arthritis, drug-induced arthritis, septic arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, osteoarthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
• Lyme disease
• Gout
• Paget’s disease of the bone
• avascular necrosis
• complex regional pain syndrome
• osteomyelitis
•
SYMPTOMS
• Joint swelling and stiffness
• Joint redness
• Joint warmth
• Joint tenderness
• Loss of range of motion of the joint
• Weakness or instability
Consult your doctor if joint pain is persistent or is accompanied by:
• Fever or persistent fever with no cause
• Swollen glands in the neck, groin or underarms
• Rash
• Unintended weight loss
• Abdominal pain
• Limping
DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT
To make a diagnosis, the doctor will ask questions about your symptoms and carry out physical examinations. Questions may include when the pain started, what activities you were doing before your joint pain began, activities that aggravates or relieve the degree of the pain, if the pain is stabbing, or dull and constant, where the pain is, how long it lasted for or if it continued for a while and other important questions about your pain.
Further testing such as blood tests and X-rays or other imaging studies may be helpful in cases where the cause is not determined by questions and physical examination.
TREATMENT
The goal of treatment is to reduce pain and preserve joint functions
The treatment is directed toward the underlying cause of the pain, this will be treated first and foremost.
While treating the underlying cause, pain management may still play a role. Pain management may include OTC pain medications, prescription pain medication, stretching exercises or other treatment which may help with symptoms
If the pain is as a result of an injury, rest, cold applications, and anti-inflammatory may be suggested.
Joint pain from arthritis and other conditions may be relieved with a substance found in chili peppers called Capsaicin. Capsaicin blocks substance P, which helps transmit pain signals, and it triggers the release of endorphins. Endorphins are chemicals in the body that blocks pain.
When an infection is a cause, antibiotics may help
For immune system dysfunction, immunosuppressant may help
A severely damaged joint may be treated with joint replacement therapy
Physical therapy can help strengthen muscles around the joint, stabilize the joints as well as increase the range of motion.
