What is Tendinopathy?

What is Joint Pain?

Joints refer to the parts of your body where your bones meet, and it is with the help of these joints that any sort of physical movement of your skeleton is made possible. Joint pain, therefore, implies discomfort, soreness or aches experienced in any joint in the body and is a prevalent condition faced by millions across the world. Joint pain diagnosis usually will involve your doctor trying to identify the reason for your pain, and X-rays may be taken to identify any damage to the joints.

Causes

There are many potential joint pain causes ranging from injury or trauma to tendinopathy, arthritis, infection or other conditions such as fibromyalgia (muscle pain all over the body), cancer However, one of the most common causes of joint pain is arthritis, and, in many cases, the resulting joint pain makes performing basic daily activities difficult and painful.

Symptoms

There are multiple conditions individuals may suffer from, which lead to joint pain as a symptom in itself. However, there are certain symptoms of joint pain that may manifest as follows:

• Redness and inflammation:If you observe swollen joints that appear red and are tender to touch, it is an indication that something is amiss (wrong), and a trip to the doctor might be needed.


• Restricted movement and stiffness: Joint pain is very disabling in some cases solely because it inhibits the person’s ability to perform physical activities. Joints may be stiff, especially after long periods of rest, and this may render you unable to move freely and leave you in pain when you try to perform any physical activity.


• Joint stiffness:Stiffness in the joints is another common symptom, and the most obvious effect is decreased range of motion at the joints and pain while moving.

Treatment

Joint pain treatment is almost entirely dependent on your diagnosis that is made by a doctor after a physical examination. However, there are several joint pain remedies that will significantly help you ease the symptoms and better cope with the condition.

• Exercise: Low-impact exercise with adequate warm-up can greatly help in strengthening the muscles in and around your joints. This will help the joints bear more stress without suffering any damage or causing more pain.


• Maintain healthy body weight: For each extra kilogram of weight that you gain, the load on your knee joints significantly increases by around 4 kilograms. Therefore, maintaining a healthy weight could help you move easier, be more flexible, and ease pain in your joints.


• Topical treatments: There are a few topical ointments and creams that may help you reduce and ease joint pain. It is recommended, however, to consult a doctor once before opting for such topical treatments.

When to see a doctor

Some instances of joint pain, if left untreated, may worsen and lead to severe complications. This includes individuals being unable to move due to the excruciating (severe) pain and perform basic physical actions that are required to complete simple daily tasks. If at any point you feel that the pain is excessively severe or that it is interfering with your life, make an appointment and consult a doctor without any further delay.

Additional information and references will be provided on request. Please write to us on communications@pharmed.in