Almost everyone suffers from joint pain sometime in his or her life. There are several causes of joint pain. Knowing them can help you to take proper precautions and even prevent the onset of some of the serious ones such as rheumatoid arthritis and more.
Pain in the joint can affect just one joint at one time or even many joints, and apart from regular joint diseases, it can be also caused due to overdoing simple things such as running or gardening. The important thing is to take suitable treatment to get rid of the inflammation and pain.
If you don’t address this concern immediately, the problem will persist and worsen, and you may need an assistive device like a wheelchair to help you resume your usual activities in the meantime. In this case, an ultra-lightweight wheelchair will be a good option as it will help reduce the pressure on your joints.
Here we are discussing the various causes of joint pain that are quite common
1. Illness
Joint pain also occurs as a part of illnesses symptoms such as:
- Influenza
- Mumps
- Measles
- Epstein-Barr virus (a type of herpes virus)
- Chickenpox
- Lyme Disease (a bacterial infection caused due to ticks)
- Hepatitis
2. Injury
Many times serious injury to joint areas or even to the muscles supporting it, can lead to joint pain. As the injury heals, the pain subsides. However, if the pain does not go even after three days, you must consult your physician who will probably ask you to undergo X-rays to diagnose whether the problem is due to a sprain, fracture, strain, or tear. It can also be possible that you will require orthopedic treatment or even surgery.
3. Overuse
One of the causes of joint pain is overuse. Many times when the joint is used excessively for a long time, it can lead to pain, inflammation, and even bursitis in some cases. The bursa serves the function of a cushion and reduces the friction of moving body parts. However, overuse can lead to its inflammation causing joint pain.
4. Arthritis
One of the most common causes of joint pain is arthritis. More than 200 various type of arthritis affects humankind. The different types of arthritis is caused due to cartilage damage. Cartilage is a flexible yet stiff tissue that also shapes your nose and ears. It covers the bone ends where the two joints meet. When the cartilage is in healthy condition, the joints glide smoothly over each other during movement.
However, damage to cartilage can disrupt the smoothness of movement and the rubbing of the joints can cause pain, swelling, and loss of joint mobility. One of the most common arthritis is Osteoarthritis which affects almost all functions of joints causing limited joint mobility, joint pain, and even deformity after a particular period.
5. Other Causes of Joint Pain
Several conditions other than those listed above can lead to joint pain. Here are such causes of joint pain:
- Lupus
- Gout
- Chondromalacia of the patella (kneecap cartilage breakdown)
- Bone infection
- Tendinitis
- Fibromyalgia
- Cancer
- Sarcoidosis
- Rickets
How To Manage Joint Pain At Home?
There are two ways to manage joint pain at home. Those caused due to arthritis require a different mode of treatment:
- You can use topical pain relievers
- Take NSAIDs like anti-inflammatory, non-steroidal drugs for reducing swelling, pain, and inflammation
- Start a fitness program and joint exercise
- Trying stretching exercises for maintaining flexibility and motion in the joints
- Maintaining the body weight in the normal range
- If you are obese, try losing weight so that there is less stress on the joints
Treating Joint Pain Due to Other Causes
In case the cause of your joint pain is not arthritis, you can try the following measures for pain relief:
- Take a nonprescription anti-inflammatory
- Take a warm bath
- Give a message to the affected area
- Take enough rest
- Do stretching exercises regularly under the guidance of a fitness expert
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