Your joints play an important part in your overall health. When your joints are in pain, it affects the way you do almost anything in a given day. You may experience discomfort, soreness and aches in the shoulders, hips, knees or elbows, and you may not know why. In some cases, the pain will be the result of an injury or illness, but other times it’s due to overuse or an unknown cause.
Causes of Joint Pain
There are many things that could cause joint pain. One of the most often seen causes is arthritis. This includes both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Some other causes include:
- Bursitis
- Infectious disease
- Cancer
- Rickets
- Lupus
- Tendinitis
- Fibromyalgia
- Chondromalacia
- Osteoporosis
Symptoms of Joint Pain
Obviously, the first symptom of joint pain is the actual pain you’ll feel. In some cases, the pain itself won’t require a trip to the doctor, but if you have accompanying symptoms, you may want to get your joint checked out. Some common additional symptoms include swelling around the joint, redness, pain persisting for longer than you would expect or a fever that accompanies the pain.
Sometimes there will be more serious symptoms that you should seek emergency help for. These include deformities, a quick swelling motion, immobility or severe pain.
Diagnosis of Joint Pain
During your first visit to the doctor, you’ll probably be asked a lot of questions regarding the pain. The doctor may also perform a physical exam that helps him or her locate the exact source of the pain. You might need an x-ray, and you could also need a blood test or sedimentation rate test.
Treatment of Joint Pain
Everyone who experiences joint pain will require a different form of treatment. Injuries to the joints are as unique as the individual, and as such, will be given a unique treatment plan. You might require physical therapy, surgery, medication, chiropractic adjustments, lifestyle changes or other medical treatments. Some things you can do to keep the pain managed to include:
- Keeping your weight at a healthy number
- Warming up before you participate in any physical exercise
- Learning proper exercise techniques
- Knowing when to stop so you don’t overuse the joint
- Training properly before participating in a sport
Contacting a Chiropractor for More Information
Joint pain can come on suddenly, and it can affect the way you do everyday tasks. If you are worried about joint pain, a chiropractor may be able to help. Contact your chiropractor, like a Rehabilitation today to learn more about the causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of joint pain.
