Understanding Joint Pain: Causes, Treatments, and Prevention

Joint means where two or more bones meet. It’s the connecting points of the skeleton. The joints include -the shoulder, knees, spine, hips, elbows, etc. These spots may feel achy, stiff, discomfort, or inflammation due to age, overuse, or previous injuries.

Joint pain can get very irritating! In this blog, we will discuss the causes, treatment, and prevention of joint pain so you can keep your joints strong and lead a better and healthy life!

So keep reading and find out!

Causes of Joint Pain

There could be tons of causes behind joint pain. Most joint pain leads to arthritis, but there are other causes too.

Let’s find out the common causes behind the stiffness of a joint-

Arthritis

Arthritis means inflammation or swelling of one or more joints. It describes more than 100 conditions that affect the joints, tissues around the joint, and other connective tissues. Specific symptoms vary depending on the type of arthritis, but usually include joint pain and stiffness.

There many types of arthritis such as:

• Osteoarthritis : Degeneration of joint  cartilage and the underlying bone, most common from middle age onward. It causes pain and  stiffness, especially in the hip, knee, and thumb joints.
• Rheumatoid arthritis : A chronic progressive disease causing inflammation in the joints and resulting in painful  deformity and  immobility, especially in the fingers,  wrists, feet, and ankles.
• Childhood arthritis :Juvenile idiopathic arthritis, formerly known as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, is the most common type of arthritis in children under the age of 16. Some children may experience symptoms for only a few months, while others have symptoms for many years.
• Spondyloarthropathies : Spondyloarthritis, or spondyloarthropathy, is an inflammatory arthritis affecting the spine.
• Lupus erythematosus : An  autoimmune inflammatory disease causing  scaly red patches on the skin, especially on the face, and sometimes affecting  connective tissue in the internal organs.
• Gout :Gout happens when there’s a buildup of uric acid in body, most commonly affects big toe joint. But it can affect other joints, including - Knees, Ankles, Feet, Hands, wrists and Elbows.
• Infectious and reactive arthritis :Reactive arthritis is joint pain and swelling triggered by an infection in another part of the body - most often the intestines, genitals or urinary tract. This condition usually targets the knees, ankles and feet. Inflammation also can affect the eyes, skin and the tube that carries urine out of the body (urethra).
• Psoriatic arthritis :Psoriatic arthritis is a chronic skin and nail disease. Psoriasis causes red, scaly rashes and thick, pitted fingernails.

Other conditions and joint pain:

Fibromyalgia : Fibromyalgia is a chronic (long-lasting) disorder that causes pain and tenderness throughout the body, as well as fatigue and trouble sleeping. 

Scleroderma : Scleroderma is a chronic, although rare, autoimmune disease in which normal tissue is replaced with dense, thick fibrous tissue. In patients with scleroderma, the immune system triggers other cells to produce too much collagen (a protein). This extra collagen is deposited in the skin and organs, which causes hardening and thickening (similar to the scarring process).

Bursitis

Every joint has a fluid-filled thin sac known as bursa. It helps to reduce friction during the movement and cushion the bones and tendons. However, these bursa may get inflamed and cause severe pain in the joints known as bursitis.

Bursitis occurs mostly in the shoulder, hip, and elbow. You may also encounter pain in your knees, heel, or in the big toe. The condition occurs mostly for repetitive movement of those particular joints.

When the bruise around a joint are pressurized, it may produce pain. It often happens when you do some extensive kneeling or lifting something over your head frequently.

Tendinitis

Tendinitis is the inflammation of the tendons. These are the fibrous chords that attach muscle to the bone.

Usually for an injury or repetitive movement, the tendon of a joint may get affected and cause pain and stiffness.

Tendinitis can be treated with rest and care. But lingering inflammation may lead to a tear of the tendon, and that may need surgery.

Ligament Injuries

The ligament connects a bone to another bone. So for accidents, you may have ligament injuries and that may lead to immense pain.

Other reasons may include-

• Certain infectious diseases, such as  mumps,  influenza, and  hepatitis
• Chondromalacia of the patella, or a breakdown of the cartilage in the kneecap
• Overuse of a joint- same movements over and over.
• Cancer
• Sarcoidosis - a disease characterized by the growth of tiny collections of inflammatory cells (granulomas) in any part of your body
• Rickets- weakening of bones in children, usually because of an extreme and prolonged  vitamin D deficiency.

Treatments for Joint Pain

Here are some ways that may help treat joint pain:

• Applying a heating pad or ice bags on the swelling joint.
• Regular physical activities and exercise.
• Sometimes overweight body puts pressure on the joint, in that case, weight loss might help.
• Applying different gels and lotions prescribed by a doctor might help reduce joint pain.
• Many physical therapies might help lower joint pain and make a person feel better.
• Painkillers, steroids, antidepressants, etc may be useful, but make sure to consult with a doctor.
• In the problem of osteoarthritis, add food supplement to your diet that contains glucosamine sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, methyl sulfonyl methane, curcumin (active component of turmeric) as curcumin protects bone joint cartilage, glucosamine sulfate promotes bone joint health, methyl sulfonyl methane helps improve range of motion & physical function of bone joint and chondroitin sulfate helps to balance the cartilage matrix in bone joint.
• Sometimes surgery might be the only option.

Prevention of Joint Pain Follow these to prevent joint pain:

• Keep a healthy weight.
• Do regular exercise. Also, refrain from immense exercise that will hurt the joints.
• Avoid injuries and if injury happens, take proper care.
• Have a healthy diet and sound sleep. Quit taking alcohol and smoking.
• Control your blood sugar and stress levels.
• Stretch your joints every day that will ease the movements.

Conclusion

Taking care of your joints is vital, especially if you’re old. A healthy body free from joint pain will definitely make your life easier!

Some FAQ s

Is There a Vitamin for Joint Pain?

Answer: Yes, Vitamin D can be very useful to relieve joint pain. The anti-inflammatory properties of Vitamin D help to reduce stiffness and inflammation of joints. Moreover, glucosamine and chondroitin can also be helpful.

What Minerals Cause Joint Pain?

Answer: Excessive amounts of iron may cause joint pain and fatigue. It’s because this extra iron accumulates in different areas of the body, damaging tissues and organs and creating unusual suffering.

What Is the Fastest Way To Recover From Joint Pain?

Answer: Applying ice on the joints can be very useful for quick recovery. Use ice bags or put ice cubes in a cloth and apply on the swelling joint for about 15 minutes. Make sure to rest the joint properly until the pain reduces.

Read Next: How can I reverse inflammation in my joints? Tips and Strategies

References:

Joint Pain: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment (clevelandclinic.org)

Joint Pain: Causes, Home Remedies, and Complications (healthline.com)

How to prevent arthritis pain | Blue Cross MN

Arthritis - causes, symptoms and treatment | healthdirect