What to do when the joints in your arms and legs hurt?

It is believed that the most intense pain is toothache. Although the same can be said about earaches and headaches. Joint pain is no exception. It can make a person suffer, deprive them of sleep and appetite.

The pain is sharp or dull, piercing, aching, at night or throughout the day - these are all symptoms of joint diseases.

Prevalence of joint pain

There is no clear pattern between the severity of joint pain and its prevalence. The knee joint can hurt more than the shoulder, elbow and hand at the same time. Sensations in the spine may be painful in generalized osteochondrosis or ankylosing spondylitis. But more often, people are bothered by pain in their extremities.

Both arms and legs experience significant stress throughout life - weight, action, injury. Pain, pain in the joints and their deformation are inevitable that accompany age-related changes in the musculoskeletal system.

Pain mechanism

Why joints hurt is a question that even a doctor finds it difficult to answer unequivocally.

The mechanism of pain when the musculoskeletal system is damaged is quite complex. Most often, these symptoms are caused by the following processes:

1. Joint inflammation or polyarthritis.Inflammation itself triggers the production of substances that can cause pain. Furthermore, they increase the sensitivity of pain receptors to repeated exposure. That is why normal load on the inflamed joint leads to a strong pain reaction.
2. Joint swelling.Its increase in volume looks like a joint tumor. The edema tissues mechanically press the joint structures, causing discomfort and worsening the severity of the process.
3. Dystrophic changes.This can be called wear and tear of bones and cartilage. With age and constant stress, joint function deteriorates. The production of synovial fluid is interrupted and gliding of the articular surfaces becomes difficult. Its constant irritation due to friction stimulates the growth of the subchondral bone. These marginal bone growths are called osteophytes and can cause real suffering to a person. They look like raised bumps on the joints. Osteophytes are often injured and this causes them to become inflamed, completing the pathological circle.
4. Trauma and post-traumatic complications.Serious injuries: bruises, dislocations, fractures do not disappear without a trace. Even if the damage is healed, joint pain and stiffness can remain for the rest of your life. Doctors often encounter complaints of pain in damaged joints. They usually get worse when the weather changes or at night.
5. Exchange rate disturbances.Calcifications are deposited in tendons and ligaments due to metabolic disorders. Its violation leads to an acute pain syndrome.

These pathological processes in the joints develop in diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

Diseases of the musculoskeletal system

The number of joint diseases is large. There are rare forms - isolated throughout the world, and there are also those that are found in most people. The prevalence of these diseases explains the fact that everyone has joint pain, at least occasionally.

It is important to know the main diseases of the musculoskeletal system, not to ignore dangerous symptoms, but to start treating and curing the disease in time.

Osteoarthritis

Doctors constantly hear from elderly patients that they have pain in the joints of their arms and legs, lower back, and neck. In addition to pain, they complain of joint deformity, difficulty walking and inability to do homework.

These symptoms are characteristic of joint osteoarthritis. In the case of deformation of bones and cartilage, it is called deforming osteoarthritis. Deforming osteoarthritis in its severe form can leave a person completely disabled.

Osteoarthritis affects any joint – large and small. It's just important that they experience enough stress.

If you overload your joints, osteoarthritis will develop several years earlier, especially if there are predisposing factors. These include:

• Constant load. It may be redundant or monotonous. Static loads play an important role in the development of osteoarthritis changes.
• Hypothermia or overheating.
• Injuries - bruises and fractures, subluxations and dislocations.
• Overweight. Fat is one of the most important risk factors for the development of deforming osteoarthritis.
• Poor nutrition.
• Lack of movement.
• Infections and subsequent inflammation of the joints are polyarthritis.

Degenerative diseases of the shoulder girdle

The shoulder joint is the most mobile joint in the body, with maximum range of motion. It supports dynamic loads, therefore degenerative changes in the structures of the shoulder girdle are rare.

They usually develop in old age. Marginal bone growths and atrophy of the articular cartilage appear. If degenerative changes in the shoulder joint are pronounced, the cause must be investigated. This usually occurs due to a fracture or osteochondromatosis.

The pain in the shoulder joints is constant and constant; stiffness is often associated with degenerative changes in adjacent structures:

1. Deposition of calcifications in the supraspinatus tendon and the resulting painful abduction arch syndrome. With this pathology, joint pain occurs when trying to move the shoulder along a certain arc. If you change the angle of inclination, the pain disappears.
2. Frozen shoulder syndrome. This condition is characterized by severe stiffness of the shoulder girdle. It occurs as a result of prolonged immobilization of the shoulder - when applying a bandage, providing rest to the arm with thoracic radiculitis.

No pronounced deformation of the shoulder girdle elements is observed. Symptoms and complaints associated with damage to adjacent structures, rather than deforming osteoarthritis of the shoulder, usually come first.

Osteoarthritis of the elbow joint

The likelihood of developing degenerative changes in the elbow joint is low. It increases in old age and in people who work in certain professions. Monotonous physical activity has a negative impact on joint processes, especially when exposed to vibrations.

Deforming osteoarthritis of the elbow region is often found in tennis players, bricklayers and miners, blacksmiths and foundry workers.

Generally, joint pain is dull, achy and intensifies with exercise. No significant deformation of the joints is observed. Sometimes, under the influence of provoking factors, inflammation of the joints also joins osteoarthritis, painful swelling occurs in the elbow area, and the pain is uncomfortable even at rest.

Deforming osteoarthritis of the hands and finger joints

In recent years, the diagnosis of hand osteoarthritis has become the answer to the question of why finger joints hurt at a young age. This disease is rapidly getting younger. Already at the age of 30-35, with complaints of pain in the joints of the fingers, signs of deforming osteoarthritis of the first degree can be seen on x-ray. The reasons for this are varied:

1. The number of professions that put pressure on the joints of hands and fingers is increasing - programmers, typists and simply active computer users. And especially young people are involved in this.
2. Working in hypothermic conditions. These are tram and trolleybus drivers in winter, builders and residents.
3. Lack of normal dynamic loads on the finger joints. Few people make the effort to do gymnastics, especially therapeutic exercises.
4. Concomitant diseases - joint inflammation.

The joints of the fingers and hands become deformed over time, and an inflammatory tumor can be detected in the area of the phalanges with the development of polyarthritis. Movements in them become painful and difficult. Joint pain is intermittent at first, but then changes to constant, dull, or aching.

Degenerative foot diseases

Leg joints are most susceptible to degeneration as their main load is static. Weight and static loads are the main causes of the development of deforming osteoarthritis of the legs. In this area it occurs in the following forms:

• Damage to the hip joints – Coxarthrosis.
• Damage to the knees with the formation of gonarthrosis.
• Dystrophic diseases of the foot.

Coxarthrosis

Coxarthrosis is a common and dangerous disease. Initially, the person pays attention to symptoms such as joint pain, clicking and clicking sounds when walking. All of this is temporary and does not greatly affect the quality of life. As the disease progresses, the stiffness worsens and difficulty arises when trying to abduct or adduct the leg.

Joint pain can be unbearable, debilitating and bothersome at any time of the day. In the morning my movements are restricted, I have to do hip joint exercises to move away.

Gonarthrosis

Throughout life, knees experience loads that significantly exceed a person's weight. This inevitably leads to the development of degenerative processes in them. If a person suffers from at least first or second degree obesity, deformation of the knees will occur much faster. In grades three and four, deforming osteoarthritis is more likely to develop at a young age.

Osteoarthritis of the knee joints has its own characteristics. Why does joint pain occur so often in this area? In addition to the proliferation of bone spines and cartilage degeneration, calcium crystals are deposited in the joint cavity. A kind of calcification deposit forms. This disease is called calcium pyrophosphate crystal deposition.

At first they can be found only in the thickness of the cartilage, then on its surface, in the joint cavity, in tendons and even in muscles.

The deposition of calcium crystals worsens the course of deforming osteoarthritis. The disease manifests itself as intense pain, which can turn into sharp pain when the calcification is pinched. Leg mobility is significantly limited. In the knee area, deformed articular surfaces, bone growths are visible and dense nodules can be palpated.

Dystrophic changes in the joints of the feet

Foot joints are less susceptible to deforming osteoarthritis. An exception is the metacarpophalangeal joint of the first toe. Its deformities occur in almost everyone after 55–60 years. In women, it becomes deformed earlier. The reasons for this are the abuse of narrow and uncomfortable shoes with heels.

In addition to the discomfort and unsightly appearance of a deformed finger, the person experiences severe joint pain. As osteophytes grow, protruding bones form around the toe, making it difficult to wear even the widest shoes. Constant injuries to osteophytes cause inflammation of the toe joints - polyarthritis develops. The situation can be complicated by the addition of an infection.

Inflammatory diseases of the musculoskeletal system

Joint inflammation, which affects several groups of joints at the same time, is called polyarthritis. If only one joint is inflamed, this form is called monoarthritis. Symptoms will depend on the type of inflammation or infection that caused them:

1. Joint pain.It is often acute - burning or shooting. If the cause of arthritis is an infection, the inflammation becomes purulent. In this case, the pain will be throbbing and very strong. In chronic and subacute forms, joint pain will be similar to the variant with osteoarthritis.
2. Changing shape.In the acute process, an inflammatory tumor forms in the joint area, the skin color changes and the temperature rises. If a bacterial infection occurs, general symptoms of intoxication appear - high fever, chills, and health deteriorates sharply. The disease is especially difficult to tolerate in cases of polyarthritis.
3. Impaired function.Movement in an inflamed joint is significantly limited due to pain and fluid accumulation in the joint cavity. This swelling, like an inflammatory tumor, mechanically impedes movement.

Causes of Arthritis

The causes of arthritis are varied. These diseases are generally divided into main groups:

• Infectious.They develop when the joint is directly affected by an infection, such as Lyme disease. The infection can be viral or bacterial, penetrate from the outside or from a neighboring affected organ, the bone. Arthritis caused by bacterial infection is especially serious.
• Reactive.In this case, the inflammatory process develops as a reaction to a past or present infection. This includes damage to the musculoskeletal system following flu, colds, and urogenital infections. An important sign is the link to infection.
• Autoimmune.Sometimes a person's immune system begins to destroy its own cells. The manifestations of these diseases are varied, but the articular syndrome tends to be more pronounced. The most common autoimmune pathology is rheumatoid polyarthritis. It is characterized by severe deformation of the joints with persistent pain.

Autoimmune polyarthritis cannot be cured, but must be stopped to keep the disease at an early stage.

Treatment of joint diseases

What to do if you are diagnosed with a joint disease? Do I need to take medications, antibiotics or can I limit myself to folk remedies? Only a doctor will be able to correctly answer all the questions and prescribe the appropriate treatment.

ethnoscience

Folk remedies have been prescribed for a long time - both by healers and modern doctors. They are quite capable of relieving inflammation and eliminating pain, reducing swelling in the affected area.

Among folk remedies, cabbage leaf is considered the undisputed leader. Applying it cold or as a compress with honey to the painful joint can alleviate inflammatory manifestations and alleviate the condition. Banana leaves, chopped mushrooms and vodka liqueurs are also used.

The arsenal of folk remedies is varied, but it must be remembered that they only treat mild forms of disease and always under the supervision of a doctor.

Medication

Medicines used in the treatment of joint diseases are intended for all parts of the pathological process. Main groups of medicines:

1. Analgesics and anti-inflammatories.They are usually medicines from the same group. Since the main symptom of joint diseases is pain, relieving it is the doctor's first priority. A good effect is achieved when using local remedies.
2. Steroid and cytostatic hormones.It is strictly prohibited to take these medicines without a prescription. They are used for all serious autoimmune processes and are designed to alleviate specific inflammation in the body. Without hormonal medications, it is impossible to get rid of pain and inflammatory tumor in rheumatoid polyarthritis. They also inhibit joint deformations.
3. Antibiotics.They are prescribed if the cause of arthritis is a bacterial infection. Broad-spectrum antibiotics are used that penetrate bone tissue well. Sometimes, if the pathogen is persistent, the doctor may be able to treat the infection using several groups of antibiotics. This is also justified if the disease is caused by a mixed infection. It is necessary to remember that antibiotics are strong medicines with individual side effects and strictly follow the doctor's instructions during treatment.
4. Preparations that protect and restore cartilage.It is impossible to treat chronic polyarthritis and deforming osteoarthritis without chondroprotectors. For this purpose, both isolated medications - chondroitin or glucosamine - and combined medications are used. There is an extensive evidence base on the use of chondroprotectants based on many clinical trials.
5. Intra-articular injections.This is the best way to administer the medicine directly to the disease site. Typically, hormonal anti-inflammatories are injected into the joint cavity. In recent years, hyaluronic acid has also been used for intra-articular injection.

Physiotherapy

It is not worth treating joint diseases with medication alone. The integrated use of physiotherapeutic techniques (magnetotherapy, electrophoresis) and physiotherapy significantly increases the chances of recovery.

Orthopedic devices are also used to limit movement in affected joints. This includes orthotics and splints. The purpose of these devices is to reduce the load on the diseased joint.

Surgical treatment

A radical cure for advanced osteoarthritis is endoprostheses. Only this method is capable of replacing a destroyed joint with a synthetic one, restoring its full range of movement.

Endoprosthesis replacement is a treatment option in situations where conservative therapy is powerless.