There are a lot of articles and materials on the Internet on the topic of what to do when your joints hurt, with a description of the symptoms. In fact, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of causes for these problems. Trying to understand them by non-specialists is, firstly, unproductive, and secondly, dangerous. Joint problems often cause disability.
Almost 20% of the world's population suffers from joint diseases. These are the statistics from the World Health Organization. In Russia, various joint lesions occur in every fourth resident of the country. The situation is even more dramatic among the older age group. The prevalence of joint diseases in people over 60 years of age reaches 97%. We can say that the prevalence of joint diseases is becoming epidemic. It is quite possible that one of the reasons is the failure of those suffering from the disease to receive timely medical care. This happens for a number of reasons. Including because patients... do not reach the right doctor. As a rule, this skips the period of the so-called “therapeutic window”, when treatment is most effective. And sometimes adequate medical care is not provided at all.
When to see a specialist: warning signs
There are several joint diseases, but the most common are arthrosis and arthritis. They have similar symptoms, but different mechanisms of development, and therefore treatment. Once diseases are diagnosed, it is almost impossible to completely recover from them, so experts recommend consulting a doctor at the very first problems at work in order to slow down and delay serious pathologies.
So, the warning signs:
- pain;
- impaired fine motor skills;
- swelling in the joint area;
- crunch;
- discomfort while moving;
- general weakness and malaise;
- fever accompanied by pain;
- seals on the phalanges of the fingers.
Such symptoms may appear suddenly or be the result of hypothermia or physical fatigue. Even isolated and short-term symptoms of joint problems that go away on their own require consultation with a doctor.
An initial examination for joint pain can be carried out by a general practitioner, who will give recommendations and referral to a specialist.
Treatment methods for arthrosis
Treatment of arthrosis is aimed at eliminating the causes that caused the development of arthrosis, eliminating inflammatory changes, restoring lost functions and metabolism in the joints.
The specialists of JSC “Family Doctor” have extensive experience in diagnosing and treating arthrosis. Professional training, modern equipment and our own laboratory allow our orthopedic doctors to make an accurate diagnosis and develop effective treatment tactics for the disease.
Treatment of arthrosis is usually carried out on an outpatient basis. In some cases, you may be offered inpatient treatment for arthrosis.
Conservative treatment
Conservative treatment of arthrosis is complex, including the use of anti-inflammatory and painkillers, as well as physiotherapeutic procedures.
Specialist consultation
In what cases are they referred to an arthrologist?
An arthrologist treats pathologies affecting joints and periarticular tissues. His competence covers diseases such as:
- osteoarthritis;
- osteoarthritis;
- bursitis;
- periarthritis;
- tendinitis;
- osteoporosis;
- Bekhterev's disease.
It is the arthrologist who accurately establishes the diagnosis and treatment regimen. It is to him that a patient with symptoms characteristic of damage to the joints and adjacent tissues should be referred first. If the joints hurt, the doctor will prescribe painkillers and directly treat their causes.
To make an accurate diagnosis, the patient will have to undergo a series of general and special blood tests, take a picture of the joint, undergo an ultrasound examination and clearly describe to the doctor the provoking factors and the nature of the pain.
Prevention of osteoporosis
Restoring the structure of bone tissue requires the following measures:
- healthy lifestyle;
- proper nutrition;
- consumption of drugs that contain easily digestible forms of calcium salts;
- physical education classes;
- sunbathing; getting rid of chronic diseases that cause impaired calcium absorption;
- regular medical supervision.
Remember that it is better to prevent the development of the disease than to get rid of its manifestations through therapeutic measures. Stick to proper nutrition, exercise regularly, and give up bad habits. People over 45 years of age are recommended to take calcium-containing supplements.
What other specialists treat joints?
The nature of the development of arthrosis, arthritis and other joint diseases has not been clearly studied. But experts have identified the underlying provoking factors. It's always not just about joints and heavy physical activity.
Any disease is a complex of causes that relate to the nervous and endocrine systems, past injuries, and past infections. That is why the question of which doctor to contact if your joints hurt has an answer in the form of a whole list of specialized specialists.
Orthopedist
This specialist is consulted to confirm the diagnosis of arthrosis, as well as to identify other pathologies associated with the destruction of cartilage tissue, joint deformation and impaired mobility.
Any discomfort during movement affecting the hands, fingers of the upper and lower extremities, feet and knees is a reason to consult an orthopedist. It is especially important to visit it for children and adolescents, for whom you can choose special shoes and a set of exercises to prevent further deformation.
Rheumatologist
A rheumatologist treats inflammatory pathologies for joint pain. These are gout and arthritis. The specialist will assess the affected area, the stage of development of the disease, identify the causes of the inflammatory process and prescribe treatment.
Important in diagnosing arthritis and gout are special blood tests and examinations:
- rheumatic tests;
- C-reactive protein test;
- virological analysis;
- immunological studies;
- studies of synovial fluid;
- antinuclear antibody test.
Collecting studies allows you to create a complete picture of the disease and determine the optimal treatment regimen.
Surgeon and traumatologist
These specialists are contacted for serious joint deformities, for which only surgical intervention is relevant.
A rheumatologist or orthopedist will refer you to a surgeon and traumatologist if there are serious visible joint deformities and there is no effect of treatment.
Neuropathologist
If you have joint pain, which doctor should you consult? Painful conditions do not always indicate pathology of the joint itself and adjacent tissues. Perhaps the reason is inflammation or pinched nerve endings.
A neurologist treats this condition. It can be determined by simply examining the painful area with a special instrument at a regular doctor’s appointment.
Infectious disease specialist
The help of an infectious disease specialist is necessary in the development of acute infectious arthritis. This disease most often affects young children and adolescents who have had a severe infection.
Arthritis develops quickly with partial loss of joint mobility and pain. Requires intensive antibacterial therapy and joint drainage. The first step to make a diagnosis is to analyze the synovial fluid.
How is the first appointment and diagnosis carried out?
No special preparation is required to visit a doctor. It is enough to take with you a medical card and the results of the latest studies, if available (urinalysis, blood tests, ultrasound, etc.).
A visit to a rheumatologist consists of several stages. The first of them is a detailed interview, that is, obtaining information about the declared ailments.
The rheumatologist may ask:
- Where exactly is the pain concentrated (for example, which joints hurt, maybe the pain affects the entire limb or several fingers)?
- Is the pain worst at night or during the day?
- Is morning stiffness accompanied by morning stiffness and how long does it last?
- Was there swelling of the joints or redness?
- Are the symptoms episodic or chronic?
- Does the pain get worse when you are immobile?
- How intense is the pain?
- Was the symptoms preceded by an infection (eg, urinary tract infection, pharyngitis)?
The survey may focus on other symptoms, comorbidities, or even illnesses that run in family members. Questions that seem to be unrelated to the problem that is the reason for consultation (for example, bad habits or intestinal diseases in parents) should not come as a surprise.
The next step is an examination, and the doctor evaluates not only the condition of the joints. Depending on your symptoms, your rheumatologist may also examine your skin, nails, lymph nodes, or abdomen.
Unfortunately, it happens that the first visit does not provide grounds for making a final diagnosis and drawing up a treatment plan. Sometimes, even with the efforts of the doctor and painstaking preparation on the part of the patient, there is not enough information to make decisions. This is due to the fact that some rheumatic diseases take years to develop, and the full picture appears only with time. In any case, you cannot do without additional examinations.
Kinesitherapy for joint pain
Pathological processes occurring in the joints for a number of reasons cause limited mobility, weakening of muscle tissue, and discomfort when performing normal movements and manipulations.
At the kinesitherapy center Doctor Osteochondrosis, treatment and restoration of joint mobility is carried out using special simulators. Rehabilitation under conditions of light local load allows you to strengthen the muscle corset and restore full mobility of the spine and joints. Such rehabilitation is absolutely safe, effective and painless for people with different types of pathologies of the musculoskeletal system.
The clinic has been operating since 1999, successfully treating pain of various locations. All classes are supervised by a specialist, and the load regimen is developed strictly individually.
The Clinic of Effective Kinesitherapy has centers in Zelenograd, Tver, Dubna and Klin.
Recovery after illness
For final recovery, a complex of procedures is carried out. This includes mud treatment, physiotherapeutic procedures, massage, acupuncture.
One of the main methods of additional treatment is physical therapy, namely joint exercises, which increases joint mobility and restores blood circulation in the right places.
With the help of such gymnastics, the world-famous circus performer and folk healer Valentin Ivanovich Dikul gives freedom of movement to many desperate patients every year. His treatment is based on active rehabilitation and kinesiology.
MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF DOCTOR:
Often, when examining a patient, doctors pay attention only to the bones, ligaments, and joints. At the same time, nothing is said about muscles
, the function of contraction of which plays a significant role in human life. Weakened muscles lead to thinning and deformed bones.
Unfortunately, common methods of therapy only aggravate the situation, leading to even more severe pain, muscle atrophy and a deterioration in the quality of life of patients.
Effective treatment is impossible to imagine without muscle restoration. Unique kinesitherapy technique
consists in a therapeutic effect, which implies, first of all, muscle activity during the methodical execution of a set of exercises on special simulators.
All exercises are performed by patients sitting or lying down, so there is no excessive stress on the joints and circulatory system, and our instructors-methodologists correct the technique of movements
and monitor the correct execution of actions.
Remember that diseases of the spine and joints are not a death sentence; if the patient wishes and the right approach to treatment, everything can be corrected!
Causes of arthritis
The causes of arthritis can be allergies, diseases of the nervous system, tuberculosis, gout, disruptions in the endocrine system, hormonal changes in the female body during menopause, lack of vitamins, alcohol and drug addiction. Arthritis can result from a simple bite of a poisonous insect into the joint cavity.
By analyzing all this, a specialist treats arthritis. Tests and studies will show which doctor the patient needs first. Therefore, it is impossible to answer this question unequivocally.
When choosing which doctor will treat the disease for arthritis, you need to correctly determine the cause of the disease and refer, in addition to the surgeon and orthopedist, to other necessary specialists.
Drug therapy
Nonsteroidal drugs, antibiotics, and chondroprotectors are used in the treatment of arthritis. Anti-inflammatory drugs relieve inflammation, reduce swelling and pain. If necessary, a puncture of the inflamed area is performed, and antibiotics and steroid hormones (Dexamethasone, Kenalog) are injected into the joint cavity. The affected cartilage tissue is restored with the help of chondroprotectors. Arthritis of the feet and fingers can be successfully treated with ointments, gels, and creams with anti-inflammatory and cooling effects.
In advanced cases, surgical intervention is possible to replace the diseased joint using artificial materials. Thus, for arthritis of the knee joint, replantation or reconstructive surgery will help restore the diseased joint and prevent further development of the disease.
IMPORTANT! During treatment, it is necessary to reduce the load on the diseased joints as much as possible: long walking and heavy lifting are excluded.
Exercise therapy and physiotherapeutic procedures
Drug treatment should be carried out in combination with physiotherapy and exercise therapy.
Physiotherapeutic procedures include:
- diadynamic;
- electrophoresis;
- magnetic therapy;
- mud - and paraffin treatment.
IMPORTANT! All activities are carried out during the remission process. For arthritis of the foot, exercises are performed only in a lying position.
Orthopedic devices
Treatment of arthritis of the knee joint and feet never takes place without auxiliary orthopedic devices and shoes. A regular cane, knee pad, and tight bandage will help reduce the load on the inflamed area and reduce pain.
Special energy-absorbing shoes should have hard or convex soles.
Diet
An important aspect of treating arthritis is proper nutrition. A nutritionist will help you create the right daily diet, which will include vegetables, fruits, cereals cooked in water, as well as foods rich in calcium. It is better to avoid eating fatty, salty foods, meat, and offal.
Causes of the disease
As paradoxical as it sounds, the disease affects older people much less often than young people and even children. This disease is quite insidious and difficult to diagnose, especially in the case of damage to the knee joints. And the reason is that it is an inflammatory process caused by various types of infections. Most often, the causative agents are staphylococci of various types, but there are also candida bacteria and other pathogens.
It seems that the immune system of young people is much stronger than the elderly, and they are much more active in movement and a priori should not suffer from joint pain. But doctors state that a tenth of young people have joint damage, and even children under one year of age suffer from it. Why is this happening? Modern doctors do not give a clear answer to this question. But the main causes of joint inflammatory infections are called:
- consequences of injury;
- diseases of the central nervous system;
- hip dysplasia;
- diseases caused by infections;
- unhealthy food and extra pounds;
- hereditary predisposition;
- disruptions in the hormonal system.
To determine the type of arthritis, the doctor must prescribe a diagnosis and, based on the results, refer you to a doctor who treats these diseases.
These are just some of the causes of the disease. To determine the type of inflammatory infection, the doctor must prescribe a diagnosis and, based on the results, refer you to a doctor who treats these diseases.