Dear Daughters,
You’ve probably heard the term “joint discomfort”, but what exactly does it mean? In this article, we’ll explain what joint discomfort is, some causes, and how to treat it.
Joint discomfort, also known as joint pain, is a term to describe various types of pain. The word “joint” refers to the connection between two bones in the body, called articulations. A joint can be anything from a bone and ligament, cartilage, or muscle. The main job of a joint is to allow bones to move, and this is achieved by movement, or motion, and lubrication. This is why there are so many types of joints in the body.
Joint Pain
Joint pain is one of the most common and debilitating symptoms that can affect a person. It is a problem that affects millions of people every year. When this happens, it may become hard for you to do simple things, like walk or even get out of bed. Fortunately, there are ways to alleviate the joint pain and make it easier to move.
Joint pain is something that many people experience regularly. Unfortunately, joint pain may be linked to many health conditions, and may also be caused by the way we live.
Although many factors can cause joint pain, daily wear and tear is a major culprit. Additionally, joint pain is typically felt in the joints of the hands, feet, knees, neck and lower back.
Here are 11 known root causes of chronic pain in joints:
1. Arthritis
Arthritis is a common rheumatic disease. The most common symptom of arthritis is joint pain and stiffness. It can affect the joints in your fingers, hands, wrists, elbows, hips, knees and feet.
However, the main cause of arthritis is unknown, but it may be due to an infection or other environmental factors that lead to inflammation of the joint lining.
2. Osteoarthritis
This type of arthritis develops over time as the cartilage wears down in joints and causes them to become stiffer and less flexible.
3. Rheumatoid arthritis
This type of arthritis is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in the joints,
4. Gout
Is a form of inflammatory arthritis that causes sudden attacks of pain in one or more joints due to an accumulation of uric acid crystals in them (gout).
5. Bursitis
is the inflammation of the bursa, which is a fluid-filled sac that cushions and protects joints. A bursa is located in each of your shoulders, knees, elbows, hips, and feet. But if you injure your bursa, it can lead to painful swelling, stiffness, and difficulty moving your joint.
6. Tendinitis
The condition, which can affect any tendon in the body, is caused by repeated injury to tendons and muscles. Tendinitis is more likely to occur when your tendon is stretched or pulled too far. Symptoms include pain, tenderness and swelling in the shoulder joint, arm and hand.
7. Dislocation/subluxation
Dislocation (a complete disruption of the joint) and subluxation (a partial dislocation followed by relocation) can damage the ligaments, nerves, ..
8. Cervical spondylosis
Is a degenerative disease of the cervical spine that affects a significant portion of the adult population. It is the most common cause of spinal cord compression in patients over 50 years of age, and is responsible for approximately 40% of all spinal cord injuries.
9. Fibromyalgia
Is a chronic condition characterized by diffuse musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, disturbed sleep, and other symptoms.
10. Septic arthritis
Is an acute infection of the joint space, usually caused by a bacterial infection. It can lead to severe morbidity and mortality if not promptly diagnosed and treated.
11.Viral infections:
Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) The Epstein-Barr virus is a herpes virus that can cause chronic fatigue, muscle aches and joint pain.
Furthermore, joint discomfort tends to impact those who:
- Are obese
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Elderly
- Have arthritis
- Poor Diet
- Poor Hydration
- who wear high-heeled shoes
- who spend hours on their feet, such as nurses, teachers, and construction workers
In general, you should call the Doctor:
- If fever accompanies your joint pain, rash, or other symptoms, call the doctor.
- Call the doctor if you experience joint pain that occurs with any of these symptoms: A.Swelling B. Joint stiffness C. Difficulty moving
- If you are experiencing more than five hours of leg pain a day and have not had relief for more than 3 days, then you need to call your doctor.
- If you are experiencing pain on the inside of your knee that is uncomfortable and does not go away with rest, then you need to call your doctor.
- Call the doctor if you experience joint pain that lasts longer than two weeks.
Lifestyle Changes to help with Joint Pain
- Exercise: It is important to exercise regularly, even if it is just walking or stretching. Exercise helps keep your joints flexible and healthy by increasing blood flow and circulation in the area.
- Healthy Diet: you should eat lots of foods with omega-3 fatty acids.
- Lose Weight: If you are overweight or obese, this puts more pressure on your joints, which can lead to more pain in the long term.
- Get plenty of rest and sleep each night. This will help your body recover from any damage done during the day while you were working.
There are various medical alternatives available, consisting of:
Physical therapy, over-the-counter medications, joint injections, arthroscopy, and as a last resort joint replacement surgery.
Physical therapy: can help you regain range of motion and strength in your knees.
Physical therapy may also be used to treat other types of joint pain.
Over-the-counter medications: such as aspirin and ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, etc.), can be used to reduce inflammation. This type of medication is usually prescribed by a doctor if you have arthritis.
Joint injection: is a form of treatment commonly used to diagnose and treat arthritis and other joint disorders. Injections are used to reduce joint pain.
Joint injection treatments may include: a mixture of corticosteroids and local anesthetics.
Arthroscopy: A treatment where a surgeon uses an arthroscope, or a thin, versatile, fiberoptic instrument, to repair cartilage material or eliminate bone chips in or near the joint.
Joint replacement surgery: is the surgical removal of a damaged joint (such as the knee) and its insertion of prosthetic materials. This is usually done when arthritis causes the original joint to become painful or unstable. It is most commonly performed on the hip and knee
How to relieve joint pain without Surgery
Joint pain is also common in people of all ages. But this is not something that you have to live with. There are many things that you can do to alleviate the pain and discomfort, and many of these tips are simple ones that anyone can do. It can be a relief for many people who suffer from joint pain to find out that there are some things they can do to help relieve their symptoms.
Here are 12 proven treatments to ease joint discomfort:
1. Take a warm shower or bath to relieve pain and increase blood circulation in your joints.
2. Use cold compresses on your painful joints for quick relief.
3. Use compression garments to relieve pressure on joints
4. Apply lotion to your feet every 2 hours to relieve the pain.
5. Put a heating pad over your joints while you sleep.
6. Wear soft tennis shoes to reduce impact
7. Take magnesium supplements
8. Use glucosamine, fish oil, and vitamin D.
9. Take 500mg of ibuprofen twice a day.
10. See a chiropractor
11. Use stretching exercises to alleviate pain
12. Use yoga and Pilates
Below is a list of the most effective home remedies for joint pain.
- Take some warm Epsom salts. Add it to your bathwater and soak in the tub for twenty minutes, three times per week.
- You can add ginger to your diet, it is known to be an effective home remedy for joint pain.
- Mix some apple cider vinegar with aloe vera juice. Put the mixture into a spray bottle and spray on your body.
- For deeper relief, put some warm olive oil on your joints and massage it into your skin.
- You can also take natural remedies like turmeric and ginger.
- Use flaxseed oil to reduce the inflammation in your body.
- Take vitamin B12, as it helps the body function properly.
- Drink herbal peppermint tea for reducing inflammation and joint pain.
- You can use CBD
- Rub your joints with coconut oil
- Massage with essential oils
- Garlic can be applied topically or ingested
Lower joint pain by consuming foods with healthy fats, protein and antioxidants.
You can increase your intake of:
- water
- Cruciferous vegetables like
- cauliflower, Brussels sprouts or kale broccoli and carrots.
- nuts and seeds t
- avocado, eggs, salmon
- omega-3 fatty acids
- Increase the amount of garlic and onion in your meals.
- You can also consume whey protein, which contains calcium.
- You can add flaxseed powder to your foods.
- Beans and Lentils.
- Olive Oil.
- Whole Grains
- Root Veggies
- Eat foods with a high fiber content.
Avoid These Inflammatory Foods and Habits to Ease Joint Pain
- Avoid eating fried foods.
- Refined grains
- White rice
- Pasta
- White bread
- Avoid sugar
- Avoid alcohol
- Don’t use NSAIDs and acetaminophen
- Don’t smoke cigarettes.
- Try to avoid sleeping on hard surfaces.
- Avoid eating red meat and animal products as much as possible.
- Avoid aspartame as much as possible.
- Do not consume more than 1 cup of caffeine per day.
In conclusion,
Most people are walking around with joint pain and don’t even know it. This is due to their poor diet choices. If you are suffering from joint discomfort or pain, it is time to make some changes in your life.
As Always,
Love Mom