Introduction
Painful joints can be very uncomfortable for those affected. Everyday movements become a burden, and often ordinary movements can only be performed in pain. The causes of the discomfort can be manifold and can be due to banal reasons as well as chronic diseases.
Joint pain can be grouped according to various criteria. A distinction is made between acute, sub-acute and chronic joint pain, whereby acute joint pain develops suddenly, sub-acute joint pain becomes stronger over a few days and chronic joint pain persists over a period of weeks or months. A distinction is also made between mono- and polyarticular involvement, i.e. whether only one or several joints are affected.
Depending on the cause, there can be typical differences. In addition, the pain can be further classified depending on whether it is of constant intensity over time, increases over time or disappears in the meantime and always occurs intermittently. The quality of the pain can also be a determining factor, i.e. whether the pain is rather sharp or dull.
The pain intensity is usually asked by the doctor on a scale of 1 to 10. However, it is often the case with joint pain that the perceived intensity of the pain does not necessarily correlate with the extent of the joint damage. Below are some diseases that can be associated with joint pain.
Arthrosis
Arthrosis refers to wear and tear of the joint. In Germany, this disease occurs particularly frequently in the knee joint, as it is subject to particular stress. Approximately 2/3 of all people over the age of 65 are affected by the disease, although the severity of the condition can vary greatly and not all sufferers experience symptoms.
A distinction is made between primary and secondary arthrosis. Primary arthrosis is based on a cartilage defect, to which no exact cause can be assigned. Secondary arthrosis is caused by incorrect loading, overloading, previous inflammation of the joint (arthritis) or certain metabolic diseases.
The pain typically occurs under stress. Particularly the tarnishing after prolonged sitting is described by those affected as painful. In the course of arthrosis, the affected joints may become deformed and joint effusions may occur.
Therapy Arthrosis is initially treated with anti-inflammatory drugs and intensive physiotherapy to improve mobility. Painkillers can be used to relieve the symptoms. If conservative measures do not help, there are some procedures that can be used alternatively.
For example, there is the possibility of injecting so-called chondroprotectives into the joint. Chondroprotectives are drugs that are intended to protect the cartilage from further deterioration. Healthy cartilage can also be taken from a less stressed cartilage zone of the joint and transplanted to the main stress points (so-called autotransplantation).
A similar method is chondrocyte transplantation, in which a few cartilage cells are removed from healthy cartilage. These are cultivated for several weeks and then attached to the damaged cartilage. By forming new cartilage, these transplanted cells can compensate for the damage to a certain extent.
Surgical procedures are an alternative, especially if the arthrosis is already more advanced. The joint can either be replaced by an endoprosthesis (e.g. artificial knee joint) or stiffened (arthrodesis). An endoprosthesis is a long-term solution, but the joint usually loosens up again after about 10 years and then needs to be operated again.
For this reason one would like to avoid, if possible, the use of an endoprosthesis before the age of 60. The subsequent operations are usually much more complicated than the first operation, as bone substance is increasingly lost and the bone is less resilient due to aging processes and osteoporotic changes. In arthrodesis (joint stiffening), the corresponding joint is fixed in one position, e.g. by screws or wires, and cannot be moved afterwards. Although this usually results in lasting freedom from pain, this procedure is also accompanied by a complete loss of function in the affected joint.
