Page Contents
Definition
Joint pain is referred to as pain that is felt in the joints of the body. There many types of joints in the body but the most commonly affected are the knees, elbow, hip and shoulder joints.
Causes
Pain in the joints can be caused due to many reasons. They may be destructive, inflamed, dissolving, infections or due to trauma. Joint pain mostly occurs in old age and there is no stopping that. Pain is a feature of joint inflammation such as arthritis, which can be rheumatoid or osteoarthritis. Joint pain can rarely also be caused due to cancer. Joint pain is also called arthralgia. Some sexually transmitted diseases can also cause joint pain such as Chlamydia or arthralgia.
Joint Pain Mnemonics
Causes of pain in the joints can be remembered by this easy mnemonic
“SOFTER TISSUE”
- Sepsis (Pus-forming bacteria)
- Osteoarthritis
- Fractures
- Tendon/muscle (damage)
- Epiphyseal (The end of a bone initially separated from the main bone by a layer of cartilage that ossifies later and fuses)
- Referred (from somewhere else)
- Tumour (cancers and malignancies)
- Ischemia (Local anaemia)
- Seropositive arthritis (rheumatoid arthritis)
- Seronegative arthritis (ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic, reactive arthritis)
- Urate (gout)
- Extra-articular rheumatism (example polymyalgia)
these are almost all the causes of arthritis so if you have pain in the joints then check for any of these first.
Signs and Symptoms
Joint pain mostly presents with the following signs and symptoms
- Redness (around the joint area due to inflammation)
- Swelling
- Tenderness
- Joint is warm on touch
- Limping (disability to walk due to crippling of legs or feet)
- Locking of the joint (because of loss of liquid repulsion)
- Loss of joint motion range
- Weakness
- Stiffness
Treatment
- lose weight
- exercise
- Acupuncture (Chinese medical treatment involving inserting needles in specific points of the body to restore energy and balance)
- Hot and Cold therapy
- Medication (drugs)
- Diet (right kind of fatty acids)
- Massage daily
- Herbal treatment
Read more mnemonics here
