What to do when your arms and legs hurt?

It is believed that the most severe pain is toothache. Although the same can be said about earaches and headaches. Joint pain is no exception. It can make a person miserable, causing him to lose sleep and appetite.

Sharp or dull, stabbing pain, aching at night or throughout the day - all are symptoms of joint disease.

Joint pain rate

There is no clear pattern between the severity of joint pain and its prevalence. The knee joint can hurt more than the shoulder, elbow and hand at the same time. Sensation in the spine can cause pain when there is widespread cartilage degeneration or ankylosing spondylitis. But people are frequently bothered by pain in their limbs.

Both arms and legs are subjected to significant stress throughout life - weight, activity, injury. Sore joints and their deformation are inevitable changes that accompany age-related changes in the musculoskeletal system.

Mechanism of pain

Why joints hurt is a question that even doctors can hardly answer clearly.

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

1. Arthritis, or polyarthritis.Inflammation itself triggers the production of substances that can cause pain. In addition, they also increase the sensitivity of pain receptors when exposed repeatedly. That is why the usual load on an inflamed joint leads to an intense pain reaction.
2. Joint swelling.Its 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 wear and tear of bones and cartilage. With age and constant stress, joint function declines. Synovial fluid production is disrupted and gliding of joint surfaces becomes difficult. Their constant stimulation by friction stimulates the growth of subchondral bone. Such marginal bone growths are called osteophytes and can cause real suffering for a person. They look like protruding bumps on the joints. Osteoporotic individuals are often injured and this causes inflammation, completing the pathological circle.
4. Trauma and post-traumatic complications.Severe injuries: bruises, dislocations, broken bones do not heal without leaving a trace. Even when the damage is healed, joint pain and stiffness can persist for the rest of your life. Doctors often encounter complaints about pain in damaged joints. They are often worse when the weather changes or at night.
5. Exchange disorders.Calcification deposits in tendons and ligaments due to metabolic disorders. Their violation leads to sharp pain syndrome.

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

Diseases of the musculoskeletal system

The number of joint diseases is very large. There are rare forms - isolated throughout the world, and there are also forms found in almost everyone. The prevalence of these diseases explains why every person experiences joint pain at least occasionally.

It is important to know the main diseases of the musculoskeletal system, so as not to ignore dangerous symptoms, but to start treatment and cure the disease in time.

Osteoarthritis

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

These symptoms are characteristic of osteoarthritis. In cases where bones and cartilage are deformed, it is called deforming osteoarthritis. Severe bone and joint deformities can leave a person completely disabled.

Osteoarthritis affects any joint – large and small. It is important that they experience enough stress.

If you overload your joints, osteoarthritis will develop several years earlier, especially if risk factors are present. Including:

• Load remains constant. It can be redundant or monotonous. Static loading plays an important role in the development of joint changes.
• Hypothermia or overheating.
• Injuries - bruises and fractures, dislocations and dislocations.
• Excessive weight. Obesity is one of the most important risk factors for the development of deforming osteoarthritis.
• Poor nutrition.
• Lack of movement.
• Infection and arthritis followed by polyarthritis.

Degenerative diseases of the shoulder girdle

The shoulder joint is the most mobile joint in the body, having the maximum range of motion. It is subjected to dynamic loading, so degenerative changes in the structure of the shoulder girdle rarely occur.

They often develop in old age. Marginal bone growth and articular cartilage atrophy appear. If degenerative changes in the shoulder joint are clearly visible, the cause needs to be found. This usually occurs due to a fracture or osteochondroma.

Shoulder joints are painful and constant, stiffness is often associated with degeneration of adjacent structures:

1. Calcification deposits in the supraspinatus tendon and results in painful abductor arc syndrome. With this pathology, pain in the joint occurs when trying to move the shoulder along a certain arc. If you change the angle, the pain will go away.
2. Frozen shoulder syndrome. This condition is characterized by severe stiffness of the shoulder girdle. Occurs due to prolonged immobility of the shoulder - when bandaged, provides rest for the arm with chest radiculitis.

There is no obvious deformation of the shoulder girdle elements. Symptoms and complaints related to damage to adjacent structures, rather than shoulder osteoarthritis deformity, often appear first.

Osteoarthritis of the elbow

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

Osteoarthritis of the elbow is common in tennis players, bricklayers and miners, blacksmiths, and foundry workers.

Normally, the pain in the joints is dull, aching and increases with movement. No significant deformities of the joints were observed. Sometimes, under the influence of stimulating factors, arthritis also leads to osteoarthritis, swelling and pain in the elbow area, making you uncomfortable even when resting.

Osteoarthritis deformity of the hand and finger joints

In recent years, the diagnosis of hand osteoarthritis has become the answer to the question of why finger joints hurt at a young age. This disease is getting younger and younger faster. At the age of 30–35, with complaints of pain in the finger joints, signs of first-degree deforming osteoarthritis can be seen on X-rays. The reasons for this are diverse:

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 most young people are involved in this.
2. Work in hypothermic conditions. These are the drivers of trams and trolleybuses in winter, builders and villagers.
3. Lack of normal dynamic loading on the finger joints. Very few people make an effort to exercise, especially therapeutic exercises.
4. Concomitant disease - arthritis.

The joints of the fingers and hands become deformed over time and an inflammatory tumor may be detected in the area of the knuckles when polyarthritis develops. Movements in it become painful and difficult. Joint pain is intermittent at first, then changes to constant, dull pain or aching pain.

Degenerative foot disease

The joints of the legs are more susceptible to degeneration because their main load is static. Weight and static loads are the main causes of the development of deforming osteoarthritis of the legs. In this area it occurs in the following forms:

• Hip joint damage – coxarthrosis.
• Knee damage with gonorrhea formation.
• Foot dystrophy.

Coxarthrosis

Coxarthrosis is a common and dangerous disease. Initially, people pay attention to symptoms such as joint pain, crunching, and crunching when walking. All of this is temporary and does not greatly affect quality of life. As the disease progresses, stiffness becomes more severe and difficulty occurs when trying to extend or close the legs.

Joint pain can be painful, debilitating, and bother you at any time of the day. In the morning my movements are limited, I have to do exercises for my hip joints to be able to move apart.

gonorrhea

Throughout life, the knees are subjected to loads that significantly exceed a person's weight. This inevitably leads to the development of degenerative processes in them. If a person is at least first or second degree obese, knee deformities will occur much faster. In third and fourth grades, osteoarthritis deformity is more likely to develop at a young age.

Knee osteoarthritis has its own characteristics. Why does joint pain often occur in this area? In addition to bone spur proliferation and cartilage degeneration, calcium crystals are also deposited in the joint cavity. A kind of calcification reservoir is formed. This disease is called calcium pyrophosphate crystal deposition.

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

The deposition of calcium crystals aggravates the deforming process of osteoarthritis. The disease is manifested by pain, which can turn into acute pain when calcification is compressed. Leg mobility is significantly limited. In the knee area, the joint surface is deformed, bone growths are visible, and dense nodules are palpable.

Dystrophic changes in the joints of the feet

The foot joints are less susceptible to deformity due to osteoarthritis. One exception is the metacarpophalangeal joint of the big toe. Its deformities occur in most people after 55–60 years. In women, it becomes deformed at an earlier age. The cause of this condition is the overuse of narrow, uncomfortable shoes with heels.

In addition to the inconvenience and unaesthetic appearance of deformed fingers, a person also experiences severe pain in the joints. As bone spurs develop, bones protrude around the toes, making it difficult to wear the widest shoes. Constant trauma to osteoporosis causes arthritis of the toes - polyarthritis develops. The situation may be complicated by further infection.

Inflammatory diseases of the musculoskeletal system

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

1. Athritis.It is often acute - burning or shooting. If the cause of arthritis is an infection, the inflammation will contain pus. In this case, the pain will be sharp and very strong. In its chronic and subacute forms, joint pain will resemble variations of arthritis.
2. Change shape.During the acute process, an inflammatory tumor forms in the joint area, skin color changes, and temperature increases. If a bacterial infection occurs, general symptoms of intoxication will appear - high fever, chills and a sharp deterioration in health. The disease is especially difficult to tolerate in cases of polyarthritis.
3. Function is impaired.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 diverse. These diseases are often divided into main groups:

• Infectious.They develop when a joint is directly affected by an infection, such as Lyme disease. The infection can be viral or bacterial, entering from the outside or from a neighboring affected organ, bone. Arthritis caused by bacterial infection is especially serious.
• Quick response.In this case, the inflammatory process develops as a response to a past or current infection. These include damage to the musculoskeletal system following flu, colds, and urinary tract infections. An important sign is the association with infection.
• Autoimmunity.Sometimes a person's immune system begins to destroy its own cells. The manifestations of these diseases are very diverse, but joint syndrome is often the most obvious. The most common autoimmune disease is rheumatoid arthritis. It is characterized by severe deformity of the joints with persistent pain.

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

Treatment of joint diseases

What to do if diagnosed with joint disease? Do I need to use drugs or antibiotics or can I limit the use of folk remedies? Only a doctor can accurately answer all questions and prescribe the appropriate treatment.

Ethnographic

Folk remedies have been prescribed for a long time - both by healers and modern doctors. They have the ability to reduce inflammation and eliminate pain, reducing swelling in the affected area.

Among folk remedies, cabbage leaves are considered the undisputed leader. Applying cold compresses or compresses with honey to painful joints can reduce the manifestations of inflammation and alleviate the condition. Banana leaves, chopped mushrooms and vodka are also used.

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

Medicines

The drugs used in the treatment of rheumatism target all parts of the pathological process. Main drug groups:

1. Pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs.Usually these are drugs that belong to the same group. Because the main symptom of joint disease is pain, pain relief is a doctor's top priority. A good effect is achieved when using local remedies.
2. Steroid hormones and cytostatic drugs.It is strictly forbidden to use these drugs without a doctor's prescription. They are used for all serious autoimmune processes and are designed to reduce specific inflammation in the body. Without taking hormonal drugs, it is impossible to get rid of pain and inflammatory tumors in rheumatoid arthritis. They also inhibit joint deformities.
3. Antibiotics.They are prescribed if the cause of arthritis is a bacterial infection. Broad-spectrum antibiotics are used to penetrate well into bone tissue. Sometimes, if the pathogen is persistent, your doctor may treat the infection with multiple classes of antibiotics. This is also reasonable if the disease is caused by mixed infections. It is important to remember that antibiotics are powerful drugs, with individual side effects, and your doctor's instructions must be strictly followed during treatment.
4. Preparations that protect and restore cartilage.Chronic polyarthritis and deforming osteoarthritis cannot be treated without chondroprotective drugs. For this purpose, both single drugs - chondroitin or glucosamine - and combined drugs are used. There is a broad evidence base for the use of chondroprotectors based on multiple clinical trials.
5. Intra-articular injection.This is the best way to deliver medication directly to the disease site. Usually, hormonal anti-inflammatory drugs are injected into the joint cavity. In recent years, hyaluronic acid has also been used for injection into joints.

Physical therapy

Arthritis should not be treated only with medication. The integrated use of physiotherapy techniques (magnetic fields, electrophoresis) and physiotherapy significantly increases the chances of recovery.

Orthopedic devices are also used to limit movement in the affected joints. These include orthotics and braces. The purpose of these devices is to reduce the load on the diseased joint.

Surgical treatment

A definitive treatment for advanced osteoarthritis is arthroscopy. Only this method is capable of replacing the destroyed joint with a synthetic joint, restoring its full range of motion.

Endoscopic replacement is a treatment option in cases where conservative therapy is ineffective.