Know the symptoms, causes of joint pain and how to overcome them

Have you had joint pain? Since joints are located in different parts of the body, the pain or tenderness you experience can be felt in any joint in the body. Then, what are the signs of joint pain, what are the causes and how to treat it? Check out the following explanation.

What is joint pain?

Joints are parts of the body in the form of pads that function to connect bones to bones. The main function of the joint is to act as a shaft so that the bones, which are part of the human movement system, can move flexibly and stay in place.

Joint pain is a complaint of pain that is felt in one or more joint areas. In fact, the pain in this joint can also be felt in cartilage, bones, ligaments, tendons, and muscles. Therefore, the pain can also lead to muscle aches or bone pain.

This condition can affect one or more joints in the body. Often times, however, joint pain is felt in the knee. If so, your activities and body movements will be increasingly limited. In fact, at an already severe level, joint pain can hinder the quality of life.

The pain can be classified as mild, it will only cause pain and tenderness after certain activities. However, this condition can also get worse, so that, as already mentioned, movement is limited.

Signs and symptoms during joint pain

Joint pain is usually characterized by the appearance of pain in one of the joints of the body. Pain can also appear in many joints, either separated at different times (alternating) or concurrent (spreading).

The joints themselves have many kinds and are present in almost all parts of the human body, such as the neck, shoulders, hands, wrists, elbows, and knees. However, the most commonly reported pain problem is knee joint pain.

Common joint pain symptoms can include the following:

• Redness of the joints.
• Swollen joints.
• Heat and pain in the joints.
• The body becomes stiff and limps.
• Severe aches or pains.
• Fever, but not accompanied by flu.
• The joints are locked and do not move.
• Loss of range of motion.

Meanwhile, if the joint pain is concentrated only in the knee joint, the symptoms that appear are accompanied by:

• Pain or severe knee pain.
• The knees feel warm to the touch.
• Feeling unable to fully straighten your knee.

Various conditions cause joint pain

The joints form the connections between the bones that help you to perform various movements. So, when the joint hurts or is disturbed, your activities are also hampered.

Pain is generally the result of a disruption or injury to a joint. However, joint pain can also arise due to several other health problems, such as:

1. Muscle sprains or sprains

Joint pain can be caused by sprained or strained muscles due to sprains. In some cases, muscle spasms can occur.

Sometimes when a muscle is sprained or spasmed, the ligaments in the affected area may tear. Ligaments are tissues that connect bones to joints.

Initial treatment for sprains and strains includes resting the injured area, as well as ice therapy and a bandage to compress and stabilize the joint.

2. Injury to the joints

Joint injuryor joint injuries can harm or weaken the structural components of the joint itself. After an injury, usually the conditions that appear on your body are bruises, changes in bone shape, damage to surrounding structures, to cartilage damage.

If there is interference with the joints, joint pain will occur which can interfere with your daily activities. Even if it's healed, the injury can also increase the risk of osteoarthritis later in life. The causes of this joint pain include:

• Fracture.
• Dislocation.
• Sprain.
• Stretch.

2. Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common types of arthritis. That is, this condition is experienced by many people and usually occurs when the cartilage that becomes the cushion between the bones in the body slowly begins to calcify.

This condition can cause damage to joints, often attacking joints in the hands, knees, waist, and spine. Osteoarthritis can cause joint pain or stiff joints so that body movement is limited.

Osteoarthritis has several symptoms but they can be easily treated. Even so, when a joint is damaged, usually the condition cannot be reversed like all. This condition can cause pain in the joints.

3. Osteomyelitis

Osteomyelitis is an infection that attacks the human skeletal system. This infection invades the bones through the bloodstream or spreads from the surrounding tissue. However, this infection can also originate from the bone itself if you have an injury that causes the bone to become contaminated with bacteria.

Usually, this condition is experienced by heavy smokers or people with chronic diseases, such as diabetes and kidney failure. Osteomyelitis is a condition that can cause joint pain. This condition is often considered incurable.

However, osteomyelitis can be treated if you are willing to undergo surgical procedures to remove dead or damaged bone.

4. Bursitis

Bursitis is a condition in the shoulder joint where there is an bursae or bag filled with fluid to protect the joint. This area can become swollen and irritated if you repeat the same movements over and over. Not only that, this condition can also occur when you experience an injury and fall.

Shoulder joint pain from bursitis is usually felt when you move your shoulder. The most common symptom of bursitis is pain or tenderness. However, as it gets worse you may feel a stiff, swollen shoulder joint that also turns red.

5.

Tendinitis is inflammation that usually occurs in the tendons in the shoulders, elbows, and wrists. Tendons and ligaments govern the bones in joints. It is a common cause of shoulder, elbow, wrist, and ankle pain in lay people or athletes.

This one hand joint pain also has a pain level ranging from mild to severe. Symptoms that are usually felt are mild swelling, tenderness, and also aches.

6. Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis which is also known as rheumatic disease can also cause pain in the joints. In some cases, this condition can damage your entire body system, including the skin, eyes, lungs, heart, and blood vessels.

This autoimmune disease, which also attacks the musculoskeletal system or movement system, occurs when the immune system attacks the body's own tissues. In addition to causing pain, this rheumatic disease can also cause swollen joints which then cause bone erosion and calcification of the joints.

7. Various other diseases

These health problems that can disrupt the skeletal system and muscular system can occur in several joints at the same time. Given the number of joints in your body, you may experience pain or pain in more than one joint.

Apart from the various diseases above, here are some other diseases that can also cause this one musculoskeletal disorder. Among them:

• Connective tissue disease.
• Bone cancer.
• Blood cancer.
• Lupus.
• Psoriatic arthritis.
• Uric acid.
• Ankylosing spondylitis.
• Fibromyalgia.
• Bone tumor (rare).

Medications and treatments for joint pain

As with various other movement system disorders, such as aches and pains, back pain, hip pain, to neck pain, joint pain can heal by itself.

However, you can also take medication and treatments to treat the condition that makes the joints feel sore and stiff. The following are treatment options and treatments for joint pain, including:

1. Taking drugs

If your joint pain doesn't go away, you may want to try taking medication to relieve joint pain more quickly.

The most common medications to relieve joint pain and inflammation are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as:

• Aspirin
• Ibuprofen
• Naproxen
• Ketoprofen

In addition to NSAIDs, you can also take paracetamol (paracetamol) if you experience mild to moderate joint pain. Paracetamol is an analgesic class of painkillers. In pharmacies, paracetamol is available in caplet, tablet, capsule, liquid (syrup) form for children.

In addition to oral medications, you can also use topical drugs that are applied directly to problem joints. Use topical creams that contain capsaicin.

Capsaicin can block substances that help send pain signals and trigger the release of chemicals in the body called endorphins. Cream with capsaicin content has a hot and stinging effect when applied.

2. Perform physical therapy

Usually, your doctor will recommend physical therapy for joint pain, if your condition is chronic. Physical therapy works to strengthen joints that are weak also damaged by inflammation.

If you exercise regularly, physical therapy can help reduce joint pain, muscle stiffness and increase range of motion. The therapist will also teach you how to manage and avoid movements that can increase pain or tenderness.

3. Taking vitamins and supplements

Not only by taking pain relievers, you can also take supplements or vitamins to help relieve joint pain. The following are some supplements and vitamins that can relieve and treat joint pain:

• Glucosamine, because it can maintain healthy joints and cartilage.
• Chondroitin, prevents damage to cartilage due to osteoarthritis.
• Omega-3 fish oil supplements, help maintain the immune system and reduce inflammation in the body.
• Vitamin D and calcium are important for maintaining healthy bones and joints.

4. Consuming natural ingredients

Herbal medicines and supplements made from natural ingredients are believed to be safe for consumption to treat various diseases, including arthritis. However, treating arthritis with natural remedies does not mean that it can be used freely.

Excessive use of natural medicines also carries the risk of side effects. In addition, some natural remedies can interact with certain medical drugs, which can pose other health risks to your body.

Therefore, you should first consult a doctor before deciding to use any natural remedies. Moreover, the evidence from existing scientific research regarding the effectiveness and safety of this type of drug is still limited.

Some natural ingredients that can be consumed to treat joint pain are:

• Turmeric
• Green tea
• Ginger
• Aloe vera
• Pineapple extract
• Borage oil
• Cat claw plant

5. Eating healthy foods

When experiencing joint pain, you need foods that are high in antioxidants. Antioxidants are active compounds in food to ward off the bad effects of free radicals.

Free radicals themselves are components that can trigger various diseases, including joint inflammation.

You can get antioxidants from foods that contain vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and selenium. Here are the foods that are best for you to relieve joint pain:

• Cherry fruit
• Red chili
• Salmon
• Turmeric
• Walnuts
• Broccoli and bok choy
• Garlic

6. Compressing the painful part

One of the easiest things to treat joint pain is to compress the area.

Quoted from the Mayo Clinic, warm compresses can relieve pain and also relax stiff joints. You can pasteheating pad or a warm towel over the painful joint for 10-20 minutes.

If the joint appears swollen, you should use a cold compress as a way of dealing with the pain. Cold temperatures can stimulate narrowing of blood vessels and slow blood flow to the injury site.

This decrease in blood flow results in less inflammatory stimulants moving toward the injury site, which can reduce swelling and pain.

Use a cold towel orice gel pack and apply to the painful joint area for 15-20 minutes.

7. Get plenty of rest

Injury is the most common cause of joint pain. Joint pain that is mild and temporary you should still be able to deal with yourself at home by increasing your rest time.

Rest for a day or two to restore the joint that is problematic. Avoid activities that cause your joints to hurt even more.

By resting, you are not making any injury or inflammation worse. The pain can gradually decrease when you don't move it too much.

While resting, try to protect the joint with a brace or cover (cast) and occasionally raise the joint higher than your heart.