What to do if your arms and legs hurt?

It is believed that the most serious pain is a toothache. Although the same can be said about earaches and headaches. Joint pain is no exception. This can cause suffering in a person, deprive him of sleep and appetite.

The pain is sharp or dull, stabbing, aching, at night or all day - these are all symptoms of joint diseases.

Occurrence of joint pains

There is no clear pattern between the severity and frequency of joint pain. The knee joint can hurt more than the shoulder, elbow and hand all at the same time. Sensations in the spine may be painful in widespread osteochondrosis or ankylosing spondylitis. But more often people are bothered by pain in the limbs.

Both arms and legs are exposed to significant stress throughout their lives - weight, movement, injuries. Pain, joint pain and their deformation are inevitable along with age-related changes in the musculoskeletal system.

The mechanism of pain

Why do the joints hurt is a question that even a doctor can hardly answer clearly.

The mechanism of pain when the musculoskeletal system is damaged is quite complex. Most often, these symptoms are caused by the following processes:

1. Arthritis or polyarthritis.The inflammation itself triggers the production of substances that can cause pain. They also increase the sensitivity of pain receptors to repeated exposure. That is why the usual load on the inflamed joint leads to a sharp pain reaction.
2. Swelling of the joint.An increase in volume looks like a joint tumor. Edema tissues exert mechanical pressure on joint structures, causing discomfort and aggravating the severity of the process.
3. Dystrophic changes.This can be called the wear and tear of bones and cartilage. With age and constant stress, the function of the joint deteriorates. The production of synovial fluid is interrupted, and the gliding of the joint surfaces becomes difficult. Their constant frictional irritation stimulates the growth of the bone under the cartilage. Such marginal bone growths are called osteophytes and can cause real suffering to a person. They look like protruding bumps on the joints. Osteophytes are often injured and this causes them to become inflamed, completing the pathological cycle.
4. Trauma and post-traumatic complications.Serious injuries: bruises, dislocations, fractures do not go away without a trace. Even if the damage heals, joint pain and stiffness may remain for the rest of your life. Doctors often complain of aching pain in injured joints. They usually get worse when the weather changes or at night.
5. Exchange disorders.As a result of metabolic disorders, calcifications are deposited in the tendons and ligaments. Their violation leads to a sharp pain syndrome.

These pathological processes in the joints develop in diseases of the musculoskeletal system.

Diseases of the locomotor system

The number of joint diseases is high. There are rare forms - isolated throughout the world, and there are also those that are found in most people. The prevalence of these diseases explains the fact that everyone has joint pain at least occasionally.

It is important to know the main diseases of the locomotor system so that we do not ignore the dangerous symptoms, but start treating and curing the disease in time.

Osteoarthritis

Doctors constantly hear from elderly patients that their joints in the arms and legs, lower back and neck ache. In addition to pain, they complain of joint deformation, difficulty walking and the inability to do homework.

These symptoms are typical of osteoarthritis of the joints. Deformation of the bones and cartilage is called deforming osteoarthritis. Deformation of osteoarthritis in a severe form can make a person completely disabled.

Osteoarthritis affects all joints – large and small. All that is important is that they experience enough stress.

If you overload the joints, osteoarthritis will develop several years earlier, especially if there are predisposing factors. These include:

• Constant load. It can be redundant or monotonous. Static loads play an important role in the development of arthrosis.
• Hypothermia or overheating.
• Injuries - bruises and fractures, subluxations and dislocations.
• Overweight. Obesity is one of the most important risk factors for the development of deforming osteoarthritis.
• Poor nutrition.
• Lack of movement.
• The infections and subsequent inflammation of the joints is called polyarthritis.

Degenerative diseases of the shoulder girdle

The shoulder joint is the most mobile joint in the body, with its maximum range of motion. It carries a dynamic load, so degenerative changes in the structures of the shoulder girdle are rare.

They usually develop in old age. Marginal bone growths appear and articular cartilage atrophy occurs. If degenerative changes in the shoulder joint are pronounced, the cause must be sought. This is usually due to a fracture or osteochondromatosis.

The pain in the shoulder joints is aching and constant; stiffness is often associated with degenerative changes in adjacent structures:

1. Calcification deposits in the supraspinatus tendon and the resulting painful abduction arch syndrome. With this pathology, joint pain occurs when trying to move the shoulder along a certain curve. If you change the angle of inclination, the pain disappears.
2. Frozen shoulder syndrome. This condition is characterized by severe stiffness of the shoulder girdle. It occurs as a result of long-term immobilization of the shoulder - when applying a bandage, providing rest to the arm in thoracic radiculitis.

No pronounced deformation of the elements of the shoulder belt can be observed. Usually, symptoms and complaints related to damage to adjacent structures come first, not deforming osteoarthritis of the shoulder.

Osteoarthritis of the elbow joint

The probability of developing degenerative changes in the elbow joint is low. It increases in old age and in people employed in certain professions. Monotonous physical activity has a negative effect on joint processes, especially if they are exposed to vibration.

Deforming osteoarthritis of the elbow region is often found in tennis players, masons and miners, blacksmiths and foundry workers.

Joint pain is usually dull, aching, and worsens with exercise. No significant deformation of the joints can be observed. Sometimes, as a result of provoking factors, arthritis joins osteoarthritis, painful swelling occurs in the elbow area, and the pain disturbs even at rest.

Deforming arthrosis of the joints of the hands and fingers

In recent years, the diagnosis of osteoarthritis of the hands served as an answer to the question of why the joints of the fingers hurt at a young age. This disease is rapidly rejuvenating. Already at the age of 30-35, in the case of complaints about pain in the joints of the fingers, first-degree signs of deforming osteoarthritis can be seen on X-rays. The reasons for this are varied:

1. The number of professions that put stress on the joints of the hands and fingers is increasing - programmers, typists and simply active computer users. And mainly young people participate in this.
2. Work in hypothermic conditions. In winter, they are tram and trolley bus drivers, builders and villagers.
3. Absence of normal dynamic loads on finger joints. Few people aspire to gymnastics, especially physical therapy.
4. Concomitant diseases - arthritis.

The joints of the fingers and hands are deformed over time, and an inflammatory tumor can be seen in the area of the phalanges with the development of polyarthritis. Movements in them become painful and difficult. Joint pain is intermittent at first, but then becomes constant, dull, or aching.

Degenerative foot diseases

The joints of the legs are more prone to degeneration, since their main load is static. Weight and static loads are the main cause of deforming osteoarthritis of the foot. In this area it occurs in the following forms:

• Damage to the hip joints - coxarthrosis.
• Damage to the knee with the development of gonarthrosis.
• Dystrophic diseases of the foot.

Coxarthrosis

Coxarthrosis is a common and dangerous disease. In the beginning, a person pays attention to symptoms such as joint pain, crunching, clicking while walking. All this is temporary and does not greatly affect the quality of life. As the disease progresses, the stiffness worsens and there is difficulty when trying to abduct or adduct the leg.

Joint pain can be excruciating, debilitating, and bothersome at any time of the day. In the morning, my movements are limited, I have to do hip exercises to move away from each other.

Gonarthrosis

During life, the knee experiences a load that significantly exceeds the weight of a person. This inevitably leads to the development of degenerative processes in them. If a person suffers from at least the first or second degree of obesity, knee deformation will occur much faster. In the third and fourth grade, deforming osteoarthritis is more likely to develop at a young age.

Osteoarthritis of the knee joints has its own characteristics. Why is joint pain in this area so common? In addition to the proliferation of bone spurs and cartilage degeneration, calcium crystals are deposited in the joint cavity. A kind of depot of calcifications is formed. This disease is called calcium pyrophosphate crystal deposition.

At first, they are found only in the thickness of the cartilage, then on its surface, in the joint cavity, in the tendons, and even in the muscles.

The deposition of calcium crystals worsens the course of deforming osteoarthritis. The disease manifests itself as aching pain, which can turn into acute pain when the calcification is pinched. The mobility of the legs is significantly limited. In the area of the knees, deformed joint surfaces and bone growths are visible, dense nodules can be felt.

Dystrophic changes in the joints of the legs

The joints of the foot are less susceptible to the deformation of osteoarthritis. An exception is the metacarpophalangeal joint of the first toe. Its deformities occur in almost all people after the age of 55-60. In women, it is deformed at an earlier age. The reason for this is the misuse of shoes with narrow, uncomfortable heels.

In addition to the discomfort and aesthetic appearance of the deformed finger, a person experiences severe pain in the joints. As osteophytes grow, protruding bones form around the toe, which makes it difficult to wear even the widest shoes. Permanent injuries of osteophytes cause inflammation of the joints of the toes - polyarthritis develops. The situation can be complicated by adding an infection.

Inflammatory diseases of the locomotor system

Arthritis affecting several groups of joints at the same time is called polyarthritis. If only one joint is inflamed, this form is called monoarthritis. Symptoms depend on the type of inflammation or infection that caused it:

1. Joint pain.Often acute - burning or shooting. If the cause of arthritis is an infection, the inflammation becomes purulent. In this case, the pain will be throbbing and very strong. In chronic and subacute forms, joint pain will resemble a version of arthrosis.
2. Changing shape.In an acute process, an inflammatory tumor forms in the articulation area, the color of the skin changes, and the temperature rises. In case of bacterial infection, the general symptoms of poisoning appear - high fever, chills, and the state of health deteriorates sharply. The disease is particularly difficult to tolerate in the case of polyarthritis.
3. Impaired operation.Movement in an inflamed joint is significantly limited due to pain and fluid accumulation in the joint cavity. This swelling, like an inflammatory tumor, mechanically prevents movement.

Causes of arthritis

The causes of arthritis are varied. These diseases are usually divided into main groups:

• Infectious.They develop when the joint is directly affected by an infection, such as Lyme disease. The infection can be viral or bacterial, it can penetrate from the outside or from the affected adjacent organ or bone. Arthritis caused by a bacterial infection is particularly serious.
• Reactive.In this case, the inflammatory process develops as a reaction to a past or current infection. These include damage to the musculoskeletal system after flu, colds and urogenital infections. An important sign is the connection with the infection.
• Autoimmune.Sometimes a person's immune system starts to destroy its own cells. The manifestations of such diseases are varied, but joint syndrome is usually the most clearly expressed. The most common autoimmune pathology is rheumatoid polyarthritis. It is characterized by severe deformation of the joints with persistent pain.

Autoimmune polyarthritis cannot be cured, but it must be stopped to keep the disease in its early stages.

Treatment of joint diseases

What to do if you are diagnosed with joint disease? Do I need to take medicines, antibiotics, or can I limit myself to folk remedies? Only the doctor can correctly answer all questions and prescribe the appropriate treatment.

ethnoscience

Folk remedies have been prescribed for a long time - both by healers and modern doctors. They are quite capable of relieving inflammation and eliminating pain, reducing swelling in the affected area.

Among folk remedies, cabbage leaves are considered the undisputed leader. When applied cold or as a poultice with honey to a sore joint, we can relieve the inflammatory manifestations and alleviate the condition. Plantain leaves, chopped mushrooms and vodka liqueur are also used.

The arsenal of folk remedies is diverse, but you should remember that they can only treat mild forms of the disease, and always under the supervision of a doctor.

Medicines

Medicines used in the treatment of joint diseases are aimed at all parts of the pathological process. The main groups of drugs:

1. Painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs.Usually these drugs are from the same group. Since the main symptom of joint diseases is pain, the doctor's primary task is to relieve it. A good effect can be achieved when using local remedies.
2. Steroid hormones and cytostatics.It is strictly forbidden to take these medicines without a doctor's prescription. They are used for all severe autoimmune processes and are used to relieve specific inflammations in the body. Without hormonal drugs, it is impossible to get rid of pain and inflammatory tumor in rheumatoid polyarthritis. They also prevent joint deformations.
3. Antibiotics.They are prescribed when the cause of arthritis is a bacterial infection. They use broad-spectrum antibiotics that penetrate well into bone tissue. Sometimes, if the pathogen is persistent, the doctor may treat the infection with several classes of antibiotics. This is also justified if the disease is caused by a mixed infection. It should be remembered that antibiotics are strong drugs with unique side effects, and strictly follow the doctor's instructions during the treatment process.
4. Cartilage protective and restorative preparations.Treatment of chronic polyarthritis and deforming osteoarthritis is impossible without chondroprotectors. Both individual drugs - chondroitin or glucosamine - and combined drugs are used for this purpose. There is extensive clinical trial evidence for the use of chondroprotectors.
5. Intra-articular injections.This is the best way to deliver the medicine directly to the site of the disease. Typically, hormonal anti-inflammatory drugs are injected into the joint cavity. In recent years, hyaluronic acid has also been used for intra-articular injection.

Physiotherapy

Joint diseases should not be treated only with medicines. The integrated use of physiotherapy techniques (magnet therapy, electrophoresis) and physical therapy significantly increases the chances of recovery.

Orthopedic devices are also used to limit the movement of the affected joints. This includes orthoses and splints. The aim of these devices is to reduce the load on the diseased joint.

Surgical treatment

The radical cure for advanced osteoarthritis is endoprosthesis. Only this method can replace the damaged joint with a synthetic one, restoring its full range of motion.

Endoprosthesis replacement is a treatment option where conservative therapy is powerless.