Joints are the parts of your body where your bones meet. Joints allow the bones of your skeleton to move. Joints include: Shoulders, hips, elbows, knees.
Joint pain refers to discomfort, aches, and soreness in any of the body’s joints. Joint pain is a common complaint. It doesn’t typically require a hospital visit.
Sometimes, joint pain is the result of an illness or injury. Arthritis is also a common cause of joint pain. However, it can also be due to other conditions or factors.
One of the most common causes of joint pain is arthritis. The two main forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
OA is most common in adults over age 40. It progresses slowly and tends to affect commonly used joints like the: Wrists, hands, hips, and knees.
The second form of arthritis is RA. It more commonly affects women than men. It can deform and debilitate the joints over time.
RA causes pain, inflammation, and fluid buildup in the joints as the body’s immune system attacks the membrane that lines the joints.
Symptoms:
In some cases, your joint pain will require you to see a doctor. You should make an appointment if you don’t know the cause of your joint pain and are experiencing other unexplained symptoms.
You should also see a doctor if, 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.
Treatement:
Home treatment
Doctors consider both OA and RA to be chronic conditions. There’s no treatment currently available that will completely eliminate the joint pain associated with arthritis or keep it from returning. However, there are ways to manage the pain.
It may help to use topical pain relievers or take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce pain, swelling, and inflammation.
Stay physically active and follow a fitness program focusing on moderate exercise.
Stretch before exercising to maintain a good range of motion in your joints.
Keep your body weight within a healthy range. This will lessen stress on the joints.
If your pain isn’t due to arthritis, you can try taking a nonprescription, anti-inflammatory drug, getting a massage, taking a warm bath, stretching frequently, and getting adequate rest.
Medical treatment:
Your treatment options will depend on the cause of the pain. In some cases, your doctor will need to draw out accumulated fluid in the joint area to test for infection or gout or other causes of the joint pain. They might also recommend surgery to replace the joint.
Other nonsurgical treatment methods could include lifestyle changes or medications that can potentially cause your RA to go into remission.
In the case of RA, your doctor will first address inflammation. Once the RA goes into remission, your medical treatment will focus on keeping a tight rein on your condition so that you avoid flare-ups.
Important Methods to Avoid Joint Pain:
Manage your weight
Get enough exercise
Use hot and cold therapy
Try acupuncture
Use meditation to cope with pain
Follow a healthy diet
Add turmeric to dishes
Get a massage
Consider herbal supplements
(Healthline)
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