Joint pain is pain and discomfort in the joints, that istissue that connects and helps move between two bones. Joints are found throughout the body, including the shoulders, hips, elbows, knees, fingers, jaw, and neck.
Joint pain is a symptom of a disease or medical condition, such as arthritis (arthritis) and inflammation of the joint pads or bursa (bursitis). The severity of joint pain can be mild to severe, and the duration of its occurrence can be short (acute) or prolonged (chronic).
Causes of Joint Pain
Joint pain can be caused by a variety of diseases and conditions, from injury to inflammation of the joints, bursae, ligaments, cartilage, tendons, and bones around the joints.
In the elderly, joint pain is often caused by osteoarthritis. This inflammatory disease usually causes pain in more than one joint.
If divided based on the location and number of painful joints, the causes of joint pain can be divided into several types, namely:
Causes of joint pain in one joint
One of the joints that most often experience pain in one joint is the knee joint. There are several causes of pain in one joint, including:
- Gout disease (gout and pseudogout) which usually causes pain in the thumb joint only or the knee joint only
- Traumatic synovitis or inflammation of the tissue lining the joints and tendons that occurs in only one joint
- Chondromalacia patellae or damage to the cartilage behind the kneecap can cause knee joint pain
- Osgood-Schlatter disease in the bony lump just below the kneecap will cause pain in the knee joint
- Haemarthrosis or bleeding in the joint space due to a fractured kneecap or torn ligament will cause pain in the knee joint
Although rare, pain in one joint can also be caused by hemophilia, infection, septic arthritis, joint dislocations, avascular necrosis, and fractures or fractures.
Causes of joint pain in multiple joints
Pain and discomfort can also occur in more than one joint. Below are some conditions that can cause pain in some joints:
- Psoriasis (psoriasis arthritis)
- Autoimmune diseases, such as rrheumatoid arthritis
- Sarcoidosis
- Inflammation of the connective tissue, such as from scleroderma or lupus
- Some rare types of arthritis, such as reactive arthritis, juvenile arthritis, and anklyosing spondylitis
- Diseases that cause inflammation of the blood vessels, eg Henoch-Schonlein purpura or Behcet syndrome
- Disease hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthritis
- Side effects of certain medications, such as isoniazid, hydralazine, and corticosteroids
Causes of joint pain originating from other networks in aboutr joints
Several disorders or diseases of other tissues around the joint can also cause joint pain, including:
- Bursitis, which is inflammation of the joint pads (bursa)
- Fibromyalgia, which is a disorder of the muscles and connective tissue
- Rheumatic polymyalgia, which is inflammation of more than one muscle and joint for which the exact cause is unknown
- Tendinitis, which is inflammation of the connective tissue that connects bones to muscles (tendons)
Joint Pain Risk Factors
Joint pain can be experienced by everyone. However, there are several factors that can increase a person's risk of experiencing joint pain, namely:
- Over 60 years old
- Have you ever had a joint injury?
- Have a family member who suffers from joint pain
- Have skin that breaks easily, for example due to psoriasis or eczema
- Born with bone deformities, joint defects, or cartilage defects
- Have a weak immune system and suffer from kidney or liver disorders
- Suffering from obesity and metabolic diseases, such as diabetes and hemochromatosis
- Doing activities that involve repetitive motion and stress on joints, such as painting, laying tiles, playing a musical instrument, or gardening
Joint Pain Symptoms
Joint pain is discomfort or pain that occurs in the joints. This condition is usually a symptom of certain diseases. Some other symptoms that often accompany complaints of joint pain are:
- The joint is red, looks swollen, and hurts to the touch
- Joints feel warm and stiff
- Reduced or limited joint movement
- Joints are difficult to move, for example pain in the knee joint can be accompanied by complaints of limping when walking
When to go to the doctor
Consult a doctor if you experience the above symptoms, especially if the pain does not improve within 2 weeks. You should also go to the ER immediately if you experience joint pain accompanied by the following symptoms:
- Fever
- The limbs around the painful joint cannot be moved
- Joints deformed
- Joints swell quickly
- Joint pain is getting worse, even to the point of being unbearable
- Sweat a lot at night
- Drastic weight loss
Joint Pain Diagnosis
To find out the cause of joint pain, the doctor will ask in detail about the joint pain complaints experienced by the patient, as well as whether the patient has experienced certain injuries or diseases. The doctor will also ask the drugs that are being consumed by the patient.
After that, the doctor will perform an examination to see whether there is limitation of movement, swelling, and discoloration of the painful joints.
To determine the cause of joint pain, the doctor will perform additional examinations which include:
- Blood tests and urine tests, to determine the exact cause of joint pain and see uric acid levels
- Joint fluid analysisarthrocentesis), to examine synovial fluid and determine the presence or absence of inflammation and determine the cause of joint pain
- X-rays, to see bone damage, cartilage damage, and see cast spurs
- CT scan, MRI, or ultrasound, to look at the condition of the bones and soft tissues, including tendons, bursae, or ligaments
Joint Pain Treatment
Joint pain treatment aims to relieve pain, improve joint function, as well as treat underlying diseases and conditions. Here are the types of treatment that can be done:
Self handling
If the symptoms of joint pain are still relatively mild, joint pain can be managed at home by:
- Get enough rest
- Compressing the swollen joint with an ice pack for 15-20 minutes, several times a day
- Using over-the-counter pain relievers, such as paracetamol
- Soaking painful joints in warm water or taking a warm bath
- Avoiding physical activity or movement that involves painful joints
- Lose weight if you are obese
Drugs
The drugs prescribed by the doctor will be adjusted to the cause of the joint pain. Some types of drugs that are generally given by doctors are:
- Capsaicin or menthol in the form of a cream, ointment, gel, patch, or balm that is applied to the painful joint
- duloxetine drug
- class d drugsisease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs(DMARDs), such as methotrexate and sulfasalazine
- NSAIDs class of drugs
- Corticosteroid injections
- Hyaluronic acid injections
- Antibiotics if there is a bacterial infection
Therapy and use of assistive devices
Various types of therapy that can be done to treat joint pain are:
- Physiotherapy, to increase strength, flexibility, and stamina
- Occupational therapy, to help patients carry out their daily activities
- Psychotherapy, to increase the patient's enthusiasm to overcome his illness
- Other therapies, based on your condition, such as radiotherapy to treat cancer
If needed, people with joint pain can use a walker, brace, or splint to reduce pain and help move the joint.
Operation
If the above remedies do not relieve the patient's symptoms, the doctor may suggest surgery, depending on the cause of the joint pain. Some types of surgery that can be done to treat joint pain are:
- Surgical removal or aspiration of joint fluid, to remove joint fluid
- Joint repair surgery, to correct the joint surface and adjust the joint to the correct position
- Joint replacement surgery, to remove a damaged joint and replace it with an artificial joint
- joint fusion surgeryarthrodesis), to unite the two bones connected by the damaged joint
- Surgery to treat the underlying disease, such as surgical removal of cancerous tissue
Joint Pain Complications
Complications of joint pain can occur due to the pain felt by the patient, it can also be due to diseases that cause joint pain. However, in general, joint pain can interfere with the sufferer's daily activities.
Pain from joint pain can also make the sufferer unable to sit, stand, walk, straighten up, or sleep.
Joint Pain Prevention
Prevention of joint pain can be done by avoiding conditions that can cause joint pain. Some of the ways that can be done are:
- Get regular checkups if you have a disease or condition that increases your risk of developing joint pain, such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or gout disease
- Avoiding movements or activities that can put repetitive stress on the joints
- Maintain ideal body weight
- Use personal protective equipment when doing activities that are prone to causing injury