Joint Pain: Causes, Treatment & Help

Joint pain, or arthralgia, is pain with different characteristics. Joint pain can occur with osteoarthritis, bruises, and dislocations, among other conditions.

What is joint pain?

Infographic of pain regions and affected joints in rheumatoid arthritis. Click image to enlarge. Joint pain is referred to in medical terminology as arthralgia. It can affect all joints of the human body. Joint pain can be severe, but sometimes it is milder; some last only a short time, while others develop into permanent joint pain – the type of sensation depends on the cause. Joint pain often occurs as an accompanying symptom of chickenpox, flu, measles, and rubella. Autoimmune diseases such as sarcoidosis or rheumatic diseases also have joint pain as a leading symptom.

Causes

The cause of the most common joint pain is joint inflammation or wear and tear diseases that occurred in advance. In addition, general wear and tear damage and uneven, as well as excessive load on the joints, are the cause of their pain. There is no single cause for joint pain. However, the various causes can be divided into different groups. Joint pain, for example, can come from physical injuries, but also from heavy loads. These are mechanical reasons, as they directly affect the joints. On the other hand, diseases can be the cause of joint pain. In this case, no direct load on the joints is triggered. The most common mechanical reasons for joint pain are bruises, dislocations or similar traumas. This affects either muscles or the bones. Another common reason is excessive stress on the joint, for example from strenuous sports or being overweight. Joint pain also occurs as an accompanying symptom of various diseases. They are a common symptom of influenza, but also of mumps or autoimmune diseases such as sarcoidosis. Joint inflammations that cause additional pain are based on abrasion particles within the joint structure. Joint pain is particularly frequent in the area of the hip or knee joints, which also result in a typical clinical picture of arthrosis. In rheumatic diseases or rheumatoid arthritis, the body’s defense mechanisms in particular are the cause of joint pain. In the latter case, especially in the joints of the hands and fingers.

Diseases with this symptom

  • Obesity
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Rheumatism
  • Gout
  • Meningitis
  • Lyme disease
  • Hepatitis
  • Acidosis
  • Inflammation of the joints (arthritis)
  • Meniscus tear
  • Cruciate ligament tear
  • Osteoporosis

Complications

Joint pain can lead to serious complications, which greatly affect the private and professional everyday life and also change the person in his nature. It is not uncommon for stiffening or deformation of the affected joint to occur. As a result, mundane activities such as grasping, holding or walking may be severely impaired. The pain symptoms can increase so drastically that they are almost unbearable. In classical orthodox medicine, the joints are then stiffened. This often leads to permanent occupational disability. The private quality of life can also suffer extremely. For many of those affected, one or the other restriction is already enough to cause psychological problems. This is particularly the case when care and nursing by third parties can no longer be dispensed with. Joint pain caused by overacidification (acidosis) and resulting from a restricted metabolism can develop into rheumatism or gout. A change in diet in favor of an alkaline diet can lead to an improvement in symptoms in many cases. An ideal ratio is 80 % alkaline and 20 % acidic food. If the acid-base balance is not regulated at an early stage, the symptoms can worsen seriously. The explanation lies in the fact that overacidification literally forces the body to make all available alkaline minerals. If the minerals are also released from the bones, osteoporosis can hardly be avoided as a further complication.Joint pain can also be caused by tendovaginitis (inflammation of the tendon sheath), in which the tendon wears out due to constant relieving posture or poor posture. As it progresses, the tendon walls may become roughened and, if necessary, inflammatory processes may occur with injury.

When should you see a doctor?

Joint pain can be an important alarm signal from the body that is imperative to pay attention to. However, it is also possible that they are the result of a merely harmless cause that does not require complicated treatment. A visit to the doctor should therefore always be weighed up carefully, taking into account all the circumstances of the individual case. However, the principle applies here that in case of doubt, the decision should be made to contact an experienced medical professional. This is because early diagnosis is important in order to increase the chances of treatment. Those who go to the doctor too late risk a worsening of the already known symptoms. This must be avoided at all costs. In the case of merely insignificant joint complaints, however, it is often possible to wait and see. This is particularly true if the symptoms probably turn out to be the result of a merely mild infection. In these cases, those affected can initially observe their body independently. If the joint complaints intensify, medical help must be sought immediately. This also applies if the pain or restrictions do not disappear again on their own. In addition, a visit to the doctor is also imperative if the complaints occur suddenly and without any warning.

Treatment and therapy

Treatment of joint pain is usually difficult. The wear and tear of joints and its pain should be detected as early as possible and diagnosed more accurately by medical treatment. Serious sequelae can later be treated only by artificial joint replacement and are a great loss of quality of life, especially for young and active people. An orthopedic specialist should be consulted immediately if:

  • Movement-restricting pain
  • Fever
  • Redness of the skin around the joint
  • Swelling of the joint may occur.

Joint pain is treated differently depending on the cause. It is important whether it is mechanically caused joint pain or disease-related concomitant symptoms. Furthermore, a distinction is made between symptomatic treatment and the eradication of the causes. Pain-relieving creams are suitable for the symptomatic treatment of joint pain. Many are based on the active ingredient diclofenac. For severe pain, painkilling tablets such as ibuprofen are also suitable. Mechanically caused joint pain is treated depending on the disease. If you are overweight, it can help to make an effort to lose weight and reduce the strain on your joints. Diseases such as osteoarthritis must first be carefully examined, as each patient needs an individual treatment plan – usually surgical intervention is required. In diseases such as the flu or chickenpox, joint pain is usually left untreated because it is only mild. Otherwise, they can be treated symptomatically, which is especially recommended if they are more painful than usual.

Outlook and prognosis

Joint pain usually occurs when there is a problem with the muscles or bones present there. Often, individual muscles are strained by the same movement over and over again, so inflammation can occur. If such inflammation remains without medical or drug treatment, it can worsen significantly. Under certain circumstances, pus may form, so that in the worst case an abscess may even develop. An abscess must definitely be removed by a doctor, otherwise permanent consequential damage can occur. With an appropriate treatment from the beginning, muscular joint pain, on the other hand, can be managed very well and effectively. If the joint pain is caused by a fracture, medical treatment is of course inevitable. Otherwise, there is a risk of serious consequential damage, such as blood poisoning. Age-related joint pain can also indicate arthrosis. All symptoms can be alleviated by appropriate therapy. A complete recovery or cure without any pain, is only possible to a limited extent in such a case.

Prevention

Joint pain can be effectively prevented depending on the cause.Either they are prevented completely or at least the pain is relieved. If you are very overweight, you should make sure that you lose weight healthily but as quickly as possible. This reduces the stress that is exerted on the joints. In this way, one protects especially the joints in the legs and can prevent incipient joint pain from becoming more serious musculoskeletal disorders. Various sports may be healthy, but they contribute to wear and tear on the joints and thus to joint pain. These include, for example, the popular sport of jogging, but also cycling or tennis. Care should be taken to adopt the correct posture when playing sports, as this plays a major role in protecting the joints. Joint pain can be additionally prevented by frequently practicing different types of sports – this takes the strain off the joints. If a disease such as arthrosis or rheumatism is known, one should regularly visit the doctor for a check-up. In this way, joint pain and its causes can be prevented at an early stage. In such a case, conscious sparing is also important.

This is what you can do yourself

Various measures help to relieve joint pain. For acute joint pain, the application of cooling elements or cool compresses often help. The pain is relieved and the accompanying swelling is reduced. Heat can also be beneficial. Heat improves the blood supply to the affected joint. Herbal preparations for rubbing in are helpful. Ointments, tinctures or solutions with extracts of arnica have analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. Joints can relax again. Cayenne pepper extract improves the supply of nutrients and increases blood circulation. Damaged tissue can recover better. Also helpful for joint pain are rubs with essential oil from peppermint leaves or rosemary or eucalyptus oil. Extracts of willow bark and devil’s claw root also relieve pain and are well tolerated. Teas made from these plants inhibit inflammatory processes and reduce swelling. Nettle as a tea preparation also has an anti-inflammatory effect. Overweight patients should reduce their weight to relieve the joints. The diet should be changed. In addition, regular exercise is recommended. In sports activities, it is important to increase slowly to avoid injuries to ligaments, muscles, joints or tendons. Sports that are easy on the joints, such as swimming, cycling or Nordic walking, are recommended. Sufficient warming up is recommended before exercising to avoid joint pain.