Joint Pain

The causes for joint pain are so numerous that only a through medical exam can tell what the real problem is. Among the most common conditions that have joint pain as one of their symptoms we should mention inflammations and injuries of the ligaments, tendons or bursae. Moreover, another reason for such soft tissue pain could be an infection or even cancer. In medical treaties joint pain is designated with the name of arthralgia, the very word that shares the lexical root with arthritis.

Sprains cause very intense joint pain, such physical trauma appears when the ligaments that keep the bones in place are stretched or torn. The inflammation of the joint is almost instantaneous under such circumstances; apply ice on the affected area and try to rest the injured body part. If the sprain affects one of the limbs as it is usually the case, keeping it in an elevated position may reduce the swelling and the joint pain as well. Anti-inflammatory drugs and ointments can be used, but carefully since they can trigger major adverse reactions.

Gently massage the ointment in the tissue by circular moves; wearing an elastic bandage will also reduce the joint pain and reduce the stress or tension on the tendons. Cortisone injections are a very popular treatment for articular and muscle problems, they are efficient on the long term and have very few or no side effects at all. For persistent inflammation and joint pain, you should address the doctor in order to be prescribed more powerful drugs.

More recently, scientists have revealed the fact that sometimes joint pain can be a symptom of steroid drug withdrawal. Such a condition may be accompanied by excessive sweating, fever, muscle aches and shivering too. The occurrence is pretty rare but not impossible, being explained by the cessation of the cortisone-like substances present in the steroid drugs. This is the reason for which most anti-inflammatory drugs are non-steroidal and they get to be prescribed on the most frequent basis.

Joint pain is sometimes triggered by the affection known as sickle cell anemia, an inherited disease that causes arthritis among other things. The first symptoms of the disease appear during the first year of life being initially taken for some other ailments by parents. Regular medical checks should lead to an early diagnosis of the condition and the beginning of the treatment. With the proper medication, the life expectancy for such cases goes a little beyond forty years of age.