Motion Support: Common Causes And Treatment For Joint Pain
Our joints are the parts of our body where bones meet. They support our bones and allow them to move. Joints encompass our shoulders, hips, elbows, and knees. In particular, joint pain refers to a feeling of discomfort, ache, and soreness in any of the body's joints.
Pain in the joints is common and usually doesn't require a hospital visit. Sometimes, it can be brought about by an illness or injury. Here are some of its common causes:
Arthritis
Arthritis is one of the most common causes of joint pain. Its two main forms are osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This condition progresses gradually and tends to affect commonly used joints such as the wrists, hands, hips, and knees.
Joint pain developed from OA is due to the breakdown of the cartilage that serves as a cushion and shock absorber for the joints. Meanwhile, the second form of arthritis, RA, can deform and debilitate the joints as time goes by. It causes pain, inflammation, and fluid buildup in the joints as the body's immune system attacks the membrane that lines the joints.
Additional Causes of Joint Pain
Joint pain can also be caused by a wide variety of illnesses or injuries. These can include: lupus, gout, bursitis or inflammation of the cushioning pads around joints, infectious diseases such as mumps, influenza, hepatitis, chondromalacia of the patella, an injury, tendinitis or inflammation of the tendon, fibromyalgia, an infection of the bone or joint, overuse of a joint, cancer, osteoporosis, sarcoidosis, and rickets
Symptoms
There are cases when joint pain requires you to see a doctor. If you are unsure about the cause of the pain in your joints or are experiencing other symptoms, it's best to give your doctor visit. Keep a watch out for these symptoms: the area around the joint is swollen, red, tender, or warm to the touch, the pain persists for three days or more, and you have a fever but no other signs of the flu.
Joint pain can become an emergency if the following occurs: you've experienced a serious injury, the joint is completely immobile, the joint appears deformed, swelling of the joint occurs suddenly, or you have severe joint pain.
Types of Joint Pain Treatment
Home treatment
OA and RA are medically considered to be chronic conditions. There's no treatment to totally eliminate the pain associated from arthritis but there are ways to manage it. Topical pain relievers may help and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs might reduce pain, swelling, and inflammation.
Moderate exercise or staying active can help train your body. Remember to stretch before exercising to maintain a good range of motion. Maintaining a healthy body weight may lessen stress on the joints.
If your pain isn't caused by arthritis, frequent stretching, receiving a gentle massage, taking a warm bath, and getting adequate rest can help alleviate the pain.
Medical treatment
Treatment options will highly depend on the cause of the pain. Sometimes, doctors will need to test the area for infection or other causes of pain or also recommend surgery to replace the joint.
Nonsurgical treatment methods can include lifestyle changes or medications that can potentially reduce your RA's symptoms. Once the RA goes into remission, medical treatment will focus on consistent observation of your condition so that you avoid flare-ups.
Suggested Supplements
Joint pain is the normal result of the damage that comes from wear and tear. If you have any unexplained joint pain that persists after a few days, it's best to see your doctor. KPTown offer supplement that can help alleviate the pain in the joints. Cosamin DS and Cosamin Avoca both help in maintaining joint health by reducing pain and tenderness while strengthening the tissue and bone after fracture or injury.