Joint pain is not just a problem for the older generation. Young people often face this. In some situations, painkillers get rid of the unpleasant symptoms, in other cases, medication is needed, and in the most severe cases, the help of a surgeon is needed.
Causes of joint pain
The causes of joint pain can be both mechanical and infectious. After an injury, no one is surprised by the pain in motion. But if the pain occurs for no apparent reason, the patient does not understand how to proceed to get rid of the problem.
However, a bacterial infection can cause pain. When pathogens enter the synovial fluid, they penetrate nearby soft tissues. The infection can enter the joint in several ways:
- As a result of prosthetics, due to poor quality sterilization of the materials.
- Due to deep tissue damage to skin infections;
- After any surgical procedure performed in violation of antiseptic processing rules.
In addition to bacteria, the joint is also threatened by fungi. These microorganisms also enter the synovial fluid due to infection during surgery.
Few associate stomach ailments or bladder damage with knee or elbow pain. Nevertheless, there is a connection. When the gastrointestinal tract is affected by a bacterial infection, colonies of toxins and microorganisms enter the bloodstream and move along with the bloodstream in the body. Some of them are deposited in the joint cavity. Joint risks include:
- diseases of the gastrointestinal tract;
- changes in the urinary system;
- venereal diseases;
- rubella;
- angina;
- Infectious mononucleosis;
- pneumonia.
This suggests that inadequate treatment of infectious diseases could have more serious consequences than we might think. For example, a late-diagnosed sore throat or if a patient refuses prescribed antibiotics can lead to disability. This is because the streptococcus that causes angina is recognized by the immune system in the same way as cells from the heart valves and intra-articular tissues. If antibiotic therapy is not used as the main treatment, the immune system itself will destroy the joint tissue and take up the fight against the infection.
Viral infections also affect the joints. These are diseases such as:
- rubella;
- hepatitis C;
- hepatitis B;
- herpes.
Mankind has not yet found a proven effective drug to fight viruses. The only exception is Acyclovir, which is effective against the herpes virus. Other diseases of viral etiology can only be overcome by human immunity. In order to protect yourself from infections that destroy joint tissue, you can get your immunity vaccinated. Vaccinations against rubella and hepatitis are on the mandatory calendar.
How to relieve pain
Orthopedics use non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs as symptomatic treatments for joint pain.
In case of unbearable pain, consult a specialist who will block it. This is a procedure that allows anesthesia to be introduced into the joint itself and the root zone of the nerve endings. But the solution to this problem is temporary. After 10-16 hours, the patient's condition returns to its original position.
What does the cracking of the joints say?
Joint cracking can be caused by several reasons. Cracking, on the one hand, indicates that the intraarticular substrate has been depleted due to water-salt imbalance. On the other hand, when bending or extending to the extreme position of the joint, a single crack is heard by the sound of gas bubbles bursting inside the joint fluid.
If it keeps crackling while moving, you should reduce the load on the moving part. It is better to eliminate the cause through the office of the orthopedic traumatologist. Taking the advertised drugs on your own not only doesn’t help, it also hurts. X-rays show the condition of the cartilage between the bones and joints. If it turns out to be exhausted, individual recommendations are given. By self-sealing the pain with the formed cartilage with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, only the sensitivity of the joint can be reduced while still taking advantage of it. Over time, thin cartilage will cause inflammation of the intraarticular tissue, leading to arthrosis.
Arthritis or arthrosis
For those who do not have a medical degree or have not personally encountered problems with bones and joints, two concepts: arthritis and arthrosis seem exactly the same. The similarity of the names is explained by the fact that the "art" is at the root of all diseases related to the joints. The suffix "it" refers to an inflammatory process. This can be interpreted in other terms: rhinitis - inflammation of the sinuses, bronchitis - inflammation of the bronchi; otitis media - inflammation of the ear. both viral and bacterial. This means that the treatment tactics are completely different in both cases. Arthritis is an arthritis without a description of the cause.
Arthrosis is a disease in which the cartilage between the joints is affected. Arthritis that has not been discovered for a long time will eventually lead to arthrosis. Inflammatory processes in the joints disrupt the metabolism, causing the tissues to not be properly nourished and thinned. Therefore, cartilage tissue destruction occurs.
Prevention of joint diseases
Proper nutrition ensures the health of all body systems. Adequate amounts of protein, calcium, iron and vitamins allow you to provide cartilage, ligaments, joint fluid and bones with everything you need.
In addition, an active lifestyle keeps the muscles in good shape, which gives additional support to the whole skeleton in general and the joints in particular. And in order to protect yourself from dangerous viral infections affecting the joints, you need to be vaccinated in time.