Joint pain (arthralgia) is an important symptom in diagnosing a range of diseases. It was she who said the first thing that serious changes began at the junction of the bones.
Usually, with arthralgia, there is no swelling, curvature, severe pain when felt, redness. Significant restrictions on mobilitylarge nodesthe patient also does not complain. It also happens that even the X-ray examination does not allow us to see signs of inflammation. But that does not make arthralgia (joint pain) innocent.symptom:can signal severe organic lesions and even diseases not related to the condition of the joint itself.
As statistics show,painvwrist jointsand every second person over 40 starts to have foot problems. For those who have passed the 70-year historic moment,diseasesthe musculoskeletal system is even more common - in 90% of cases.
Causes of joint pain
One of the mainreasonthe problem is infectionacuteinfection.Painpain can occur both before the onset of the first symptoms of the disease, as well as in its early stages. With an infectious lesionpainall joints of the body. . . Mobility is stored 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 foci of chronic infections - in the bile ducts, kidneys, pelvic organs, with parasitic infections - it canjoint pain. . .
Arthralgia (joint pain) often confirms the presence of rheumatic diseases. In this case, the pain syndrome is accompanied by changes in weather conditions. Most often, the patient feels strong discomfort in the large joints of the lower extremities. In the morning, he suffers from the fact that he can not get up immediately and walk fast - because of the pain and feeling of stiffness in the joints.
If the pain is paroxysmal, it appears suddenly, intensifies during the day and continues for several days, whilepainonly one joint can be suspected of gouty arthritis (uric acid crystals accumulate in articular structures).
If the pain increases very slowly, affecting the large joints that are subjected to stress (most often the knee or hips), increasing with physical exertion and / or accompanied by stiffness in the morning, we can assume the development of osteoarthritis (old name of osteoarthritis), d. m. th. , degenerative-dystrophic processes in the joint.
Common causes of joint pain:
- thyroid gland pathology;
- weather dependence;
- heavy metal poisoning;
- frequent physical injuries;
- long-term use of certain drugs;
Classification of joint pain
There are several classifications of joint pain. According to the localization criterion, the following are distinguished:
- monoarthralgia (only one joint is affected);
- oligoarthralgia (painsimultaneously differentnodes - 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-inflammatory and inflamed.
Pain manifested in diseases of the musculoskeletal system is conventionally divided into:
- onset (appears at the beginning of the movement);
- mechanical (consequence of exercises, long walks, running);
- reflected (marked in areas where, in fact, there are no pathological changes);
- at night (disturbance during night rest).
More joint pain may be:
- dull and sharp;
- permanent and transient;
- weak, moderate and intense.
Post-inflammatory and pseudoarthralgias are distinguished into separate groups.
Diagnosis of joint pain
To understandwhy do ankles hurt,hands, the doctor prescribes the patient to undergo a series of diagnostic procedures. To begin, take laboratory tests:
- General blood test. Makes it possible to detect deviations, taking into account the nature of the joint lesion and the degree of its severity. Increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate, which confirms the presence of inflammation, with a normal leukocyte count is a sign of rheumatic pathology. If leukocytes, on the contrary, are increased, pain predominates in the spine and individual joints, it is very likely that the nature of the disease is infectious.
- Blood chemistry. In case of inflammation of the joints, they look at the levels of C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, total protein, seromucoid, diphenylamine reaction, as well as some other indicators that confirm a rheumatic diagnosis.
In addition, the following exams may be scheduled:
- Radiography. It is mandatory for painful joints, as the doctor can not perform differential diagnosis and assess the degree of damage to the skeletal system without pictures.
- CT scan. Used to study the location of inflamed areas.
- Immunoelectrophoresis. Another type of diagnosis, which shows how widespread rheumatoid arthritis is.
- 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 scanning. 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 figure makes it possible for him to judge the presence of affected sections in parts of the node that are difficult to reach.
If the doctor deems it necessary, a biopsy is done.
Treatment of joint pain
Treatmentarthralgia will be effective only if doctors discover the cause of the symptom, decide the development of which disease it signals. To relieve inflammation, the patient may be prescribed:
- Hondoprotectors. They slow the progression of osteoarthritis, block further destruction of articular cartilage, and reduce inflammation. An example of such drugs from this group are the combined preparations containing 2 cartilage components, chondroitin and glucosamine in therapeutic doses, chondroitin sulfate 1200 mg, glucosamine 1500 mg, capsule release form. These components activate the regenerative processes in cartilage, 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. Vitamins A, E, C, group B are needed for the normal functioning of the joints and their early recovery. Selenium, calcium, etc. are also important.
- Hormones, steroids. They are used if the joint is very inflamed and medication treatment was ineffective.
In parallel 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, nerve block can be performed. During the procedure, powerful medications are used that help to forget the symptoms of arthralgia for a long time.
Additional methods of treating joint pain include:
- physiotherapy exercises;
- massage;
- manual therapy;
- mechanotherapy;
- pulling joints using special equipment;
- diet.
From physiotherapy procedures, the patient is shown:
- Shock wave therapy;
- ozone therapy;
- phonophoresis;
- myostimulation and some others.
Surgery
In severe cases, it is impossible to eliminate the discomfort in the area of one or several joints immediately using non-invasive methods. The patient is then advised to undergo surgery. This could be:
- Arthroscopic debridement. The surgeon makes small incisions and uses them to remove dead tissue from the ankle cavity. The operation involves the use of modern endoscopic equipment.
- Beer. Using a special needle, the doctor removes the accumulated fluid from the wrist.
- Periarticular osteotomy. To reduce the load and improve the mobility of the affected joint, the doctor places the articular bones so that they grow together at a certain angle.
- Endoprosthetics. A very serious operation, which is used only if it is no longer possible to restore the joint. Then, a prosthesis is placed instead.
The doctor decides which method of treating joint pain is told to a particular patient on an individual basis, taking into account age, history, symptoms, and several other factors.
Prophylaxis
To avoid joint damage, you should pay maximum attention to proper nutrition. All essential vitamins and minerals should be present in the daily diet. Unwanted food should be discarded. It is necessary to drink about 2 liters of clean drinking water a day - this has a positive effect on the work of the musculoskeletal system.
It is also important:
- do not get too cold;
- to live an active lifestyle;
- rejection of 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 discomfort appears in the joints, it is necessary to undergo an examination. It is impossible to self-medicate if an inflammatory process is suspected.