Struggling to walk or move? Feeling pain while moving from one place to another? It’s a joint pain that is common, especially in older people, and it feels more than just a pain. Symptoms and causes of joint pain depend on the conditions, and it badly impacts your normal active life, making you more lazy. It’s now not just for older people; all ages may get experience with it. So, let’s start a comprehensive analysis of joint pain and how it affects our overall well-being.

What is joint pain?

Joint pain is medically known as Arthralgia, which happens to you at any part of your body’s joint, whether it is your knee joint or waist joint. It affects our joint tissues, which can be found in bones, ligaments, and cartilage, and you feel extreme pain while moving your body, like walking, jumping, or running. Arthralgia is not a kind of disease, but a condition where your body’s activity decreases, and sometimes makes you stiff and inactive. You may find various joint pains, like elbow joint pain, hip joint pain, shoulder joint pain, and knee joint pain. 

Causes of Joint Pain:

Several conditions or complications may arise with this joint pain that you can’t ignore. Day by day, it is a serious health concern with our modern lifestyle, where we hardly get a chance to move our bodies in this era of advancement. Hold your breath – don’t let your life stop with such pain or stiffness. Know the details of the causes of joint pain:

Age: Rumour! Not at all – we are getting old and our bones also – but hold on, bone density or bone health is also decreasing with our span of life – quite harsh, but it is reality. The most prevalent is arthritis, this stage and you may cause pain in your joints. 

Other than this, several bone dysfunctions or bone health conditions are the causes of ageing. It genuinely causes joint pain or stiffness – you cannot move smoothly.

Arthritis:

Arthritis is an umbrella term that covers over 100 different conditions affecting your joints, but the two most common ones are:

• Osteoarthritis (OA): This is the “wear-and-tear” arthritis where the cushioning cartilage between joints breaks down, causing bones to rub against each other. It’s the most common type and is largely age-related.
• Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): Unlike OA, RA is an autoimmune disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks the joints, leading to severe joint inflammation, shoulder Joint pain, and even joint deformity if untreated.

Inflammation:

Several infections or diseases in you can cause bone dysfunction or lower bone density. Septic arthritis is one of them – it affects your joints and creates stiffness and pain while moving.

• Bursitis occurs when the fluid-filled sacs cushioning your joints become inflamed.
• Gout, a form of arthritis, primarily affects the big toe, causing sudden and intense pain.

Injuries and overuse:

Any type of injury, like twisting of your ankle, overextended knee or putting too much pressure on your wrist, you may easily experience knee joint pain for these.

If your body parts are over in use, like excessive weight lifting or long-time running or heavy weight exercises, it can also cause shoulder joint pain. Then you may feel chronic pain or discomfort in your joint.

Diseases:

Sometimes your body may have some chronic diseases – you may have some medication courses for these, also cause joint pain in your muscles.

Deficiencies:

Sometimes, joint pain has less to do with diseases and more to do with what’s missing in your body.

• Vitamin D & Calcium Deficiency: Weakens bones, leading to joint instability. (knee joint pain)
• Magnesium Deficiency: Causes muscle cramps and poor bone mineralisation.
• Collagen Deficiency: This leads to reduced elasticity and lubrication in the joints.

Obesity:

If you feel fat or overweight, joint pain may occur due to this. Extra body weight can create pressure on your joints, and long-term pressure can lead to chronic joint pain, like shoulder joint pain, knee joint pain, and elbow joint pain.

Signs & Symptoms of Joint Pain You Must Not Ignore:

• Feeling stiffness, especially in the morning.
• Cracking or clicking sound during your movement.
• Persistent pain or swelling in your joints, and lumbness
• Not able to bend your body fully or properly.
• Feeling difficulties while stretching, exercising or climbing stairs.
• Muscle weakness in the body’s joint portions.

Cartilage Damage:

Cartilage is a flexible, rubbery tissue that acts as a cushion between the bones in our joints. When cartilage is damaged, it can lead to joint pain, stiffness, and inflammation (swelling). For less severe cartilage damage, recovery can often be achieved through at-home physical therapy, guided by a physician, or with specialised exercises. 

However, in more serious cases, where there is little to no improvement from therapy or exercises, a doctor may recommend surgery as the next step for recovery.

Tips for Joint Pain Relief:

No one is interested in staying with joint pain, which does not allow you to move properly and enjoy your life on your own feet. There, we will discuss home remedies for joint pain and some proactive steps that we need to follow.

You should concentrate on your daily lifestyle habits, especially regular exercise. It can help you with flexibility in muscles, improve your joint movement and maintain your body weight.

Reduce your extra body weight by regular exercises that keep you away from fatigue, give you joint stiffness solutions, and improve your body energy.

Dietary & Lifestyle changes:

Simple but important  – make it for your diet. Add necessary food items for your health to your meals. Proteins, vegetables, fish and whole grains can be the foods for healthy joints and bone health.

In your daily routine, maintain activeness like morning walk, cycling or swimming – helps in your joint movements, and flexibility and improves energy. 

Medications & Therapies for joint pain relief:

Your healthcare provider may suggest topical treatments such as ointments or gels that can be applied directly to the affected joint to alleviate pain. Some of these are available over the counter, while others may require a prescription.

Engaging in physical or occupational therapy, combined with a well-structured fitness routine, can gradually reduce pain and enhance flexibility.

It’s essential to remember that medications, including over-the-counter options, affect individuals differently. What works for one person may not be effective for another. Always follow your provider’s instructions carefully, and inform them of any side effects you experience.

When to see a doctor:

In some cases, you may suffer from joint pain for a long time, or you may have so much stiffness that you are not walking steadily. It is then recommended to consult with your medical professionals, and further joint pain treatments will be recommended by them.

If you have any pathological requirements, you can reach out to Nirnayan, the best laboratory chain across Kolkata, for any kind of pathology tests with a world-class advanced pathology experience.

To ensure your good health, Nirnayan is available 24*7 as an advanced pathology lab. Tests like RA Factor Test, CBC, Vitamin D3 and many more are available at a reasonable cost. 

Conclusion:

Joint pain might seem like a normal part of life, but ignoring it can lead to irreversible damage. Whether it’s mild discomfort or unbearable agony, your joints deserve care, attention, and timely medical intervention! Book your health checkup packages today and keep those joints moving pain-free!