What Are The Causes of Joint Pain?

What are the main causes of joint pain?

Arthritis: Arthritis means inflammation of joints. Arthritis is frequently accompanied by joint pain. Osteoarthritis is characterized by the wearing off of the cushioning between two bones in a joint. Rheumatoid arthritis is the body’s immune system working against the joints causing joint pain. Even Lupus does the same mischief as rheumatoid arthritis. In gout arthritis uric acid deposits on joints and causes joint pain. Septic arthritis is an infection which affects the muscles and the fluids around the joint.

Such joint pains could be accompanied by low functioning of joints, tenderness, swelling, stiffness, reddening of the skin above and warm sensation in the affected area.

Osteonecrosis: This is characterized by low blood supply to the bone because of which they are not able to function properly, become painful and weak, sometimes causing even bone death. Mostly thighs, legs and arms are affected. This can be due to injury, damage or thickening of blood vessels or blockage in the blood vessels which supply oxygen to bones. Joint pain increases on bearing weight with the afflicted bone.

Bursitis: Bursitis is the inflammation of bursae which are small fluid filled sacs found between tissues giving cushioning to these tissues. Most of these bursae are found in joints of shoulder, elbow, hips and knees.

This can be caused by injury or infection or even rheumatoid arthritis. Here joint pain could be with inflammation, tenderness, pain on movement and sometimes calcium deposits on the bursae.

Osteochondritis Dissecans: In this case joint pain is experienced when the bone and the abutting cartilage do not receive enough blood supply. The most likely spots to be targeted by this sort of joint pain are the elbows and the knees. Pain is accompanied with stiff joints limiting the movement of the affected joint.

It is yet to be known why they are caused but theories have been postulated on the causes being repeated injuries on that joint or some disturbance in its growth.

Chondromalacia patella: This joint pain is characterized by the degeneration of the cartilage underneath the kneecap. The knee makes a grating-grinding sound when stretched, becomes tender to touch and is more painful on the front. It aggravates while climbing on stair and stressing on it to lift oneself from the chair.

Sickle Cell Disease: Some people due to hereditary reasons have abnormal haemoglobin due to which the some red blood cells of the body lose shape and even rupture. These cells block the blood carrying vessels. The organs and tissues to which these vessels lead get damaged or ache for want of blood supply.

Joint pain ensues with possibly weariness, anemia, inflammation, arthritis, infections, blood collecting at spots, liver congestion, injury to the heart or lungs, ulcers in the legs, bone death, damage to the eyes, abdominal pain, fever, kidney damage, brain damage, etc.

Steroid Drug Withdrawal: It takes time for the body to get adjusted to steroids in the first place. But having been on steroids for a long time, the body gets used to these. Once these are withdrawn once again the body suffers. One of the symptoms could be joint pain.

Infectious diseases: Diseases like hepatitis, influenza, measles, mumps, rheumatic fever, chickenpox, rubella, lyme disease also cause joint pain.
Other Causes:

A fracture causes immense pain in the joints.

Cartilage getting torn, sprains tearing or stretching of the flexible ligaments around the joints, tendons getting inflamed could cause joint pain.

Synovial sarcoma, is the presence of tumour in the tissues close to the joints which give pain to the joint. Bone tumour could also lead to joint pain.

Some joint pains are caused due to disturbance in gait. When a person suffers pain, say after an injury, he changes his gait to be least impacted by the pain. This disturbed gait of the person additionally causes joint pain in some other portion of the body.

Knowledge is indeed healing. Knowing the cause of joint pain is half the pain conquered. The rest can be conquered with treatments and remedies for joint pain.