Dr Debashish Chanda is an accomplished orthopedic surgeon. He has a rich clinical experience of over 19+ years in which he has performed more than 10000 joint replacements and over 2000 computer navigation-assisted replacement surgeries/Robotic-assisted surgeries. Dr Debashish is one of the very few surgeons trained in Germany on robotic-assisted knee & hip surgeries. He has worked with some of the best hospitals across India and Europe including Lilavati Hospital (Mumbai), Breach Candy hospital (Mumbai), Maulana Azad Medical College (Delhi), LNJP (Delhi), Columbia Asia hospital (Gurgaon) ASKLEPIOS hospital (Germany).
Why joint pain occurs: The A-Z of Joint Pain
Joint pain is a common complaint in older people. Surprisingly, there is also a rising prevalence of bone and joint pain in younger adults. Nearly 20-25% of the Indian population living with chronic pain is affected by musculoskeletal disorders involving the joints. The alarming incidence rate provokes a fairly common question – why joint pain occurs?
There are various answers to this question. In this article, Dr Debashish Chanda, a leading orthopaedic doctor at the CK Birla Hospital, will help us understand joint pain reason and its management.
Table of Contents
Before we move forward to learn about the different joint pain reason, let us understand what is meant by joint pain?
Your joints are the connecting parts in your body where two bones meet. It is because of the anatomy of joints in the skeletal system that you are able to move your body. There are four main types of joints:
A discomfort, ache or soreness felt in a joint is called joint pain, medically known as arthralgia. Joint pain is mostly the result of an underlying health condition that stifles your range of movement. Your bone and joint pain may vary from mild to debilitating. Mostly, the severity of joint pain is characterised by your age.
Joint pain can be caused as a result of an illness or injury to the joint. Sudden joint pain causes are mostly associated with injury or trauma. In other cases, a detailed investigation and diagnosis are required to find out the core cause of pain. These pains may arise due to old age, injury, or an underlying condition such as arthritis. Joint pains are also sometimes due to exertion of your limbs and multiple other causes. You do not necessarily require a visit to the doctor unless the pain is hampering daily activities.
Joint pains have a varied level of seriousness and based on the reasons they might require you to act in different ways. There are almost 15 different joint pain causes. Here, we outline some common joint pain causes include:
Arthritis: There are two forms of arthritis that might impact your joint pain – Osteoarthritis (OA) and Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).
Sometimes arthritis is also a factor of sudden joint pain causes. The onset of arthritis can also affect in the form of acute pain.
Bursitis: Commonly seen in the major joints, bursitis causes the fluid-filled sacs near the joints (also known as bursae) to get inflamed.
Lupus: This is an inflammatory disease when the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues. The joints are often a commonly affected area.
Chondromalacia Patella: This is a term used for the damage of the cartilage under the kneecap.
Tendinitis: This is the irritation of the tendons or thick fibrous tissues that attached the bone to the muscle.
Fibromyalgia: This is a condition where widespread muscle pain and tenderness are often accompanied by fatigue as well as sleep, and mood issues.
Osteoporosis: A condition that leads to the weakening of bones which cause them to get susceptible to breaking and damage.
Joint pains can also happen because of injury, overuse of the joints, infectious diseases like mumps and flu, cancer, and infections.
Joint pains do not always require medical attention. But if you are going through any of the below joint pain symptoms and you are unsure about why you are experiencing the same, you must visit a doctor:
You must also visit the hospital’s emergency room if you have:
When you go to your doctor, he/she will most likely perform a physical exam to understand and diagnose your condition. If the injury is serious, he might even order an X-Ray to understand the root cause of your joint pain. In fact, this is by far the most common way to diagnose arthritis-related damage.
If your doctor suspects the root cause of your joint pain as something more severe, he can request a blood test to determine the same. This could be for autoimmune diseases, influenza, or any other viral ailments.
Your doctor may ask for a sedimentation rate test to understand the extent of your inflammation as well as a full blood count.
Depending on the nature of the problem, joint pain treatment can range from medical treatment to home remedies for joint pain.
In the case of home treatment, one can implement them in the case of both varieties of arthritis – both OA and RA. The following methods are very impactful for joint pain relief:
Regular Exercise: Keeping your joints active helps them slow down the damage. Regular exercise for joint pain is advised, however, a very intense routine is not recommended, as it can cause further inflammation and discomfort. Low impact physical activities such as yoga for joint pain can be done to help relieve symptoms.
If your condition is significantly more serious, your doctor might ask you to undergo surgery to ease joint pains and other related issues. They might also need to draw out excess fluid, especially in the case of gout or infections.
In the case of rheumatoid arthritis, the doctor is most likely to prescribe joint pain medication and lifestyle changes. Thereafter, they might suggest other methods to keep a check on your inflammation and prevent it from getting out of control.
Joint pain is a natural result of wear and tear in our joints. While, in most cases, it is not terribly crippling, some individuals might face significant trouble in these situations.
If your joint pain is making your movements difficult, you must visit your doctor and understand their diagnosis to maintain good health. We hope you may have gained a clearer understanding of why joint pain occurs.
For more information or personalised guidance, book an appointment with Dr Debashish Chanda, a leading orthopaedic doctor at the CK Birla Hospital, Gurgaon.
Ques: When should I worry about joint pain?
Ans: If your joint pain is caused due to an injury or if it is hampering your daily activities, you should seek medical intervention immediately.
Ques: What are the common causes of joint pain?
Ans: Common causes of joint pain include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, bursitis, lupus, osteoporosis and injury.
Ques: How can I relieve joint pain at home?
Ans: You can relieve joint pain at home by doing low impact exercises, hot and cold compressions and eating more fibre.
Ques: Which vitamin deficiency can lead to joint pain?
Ans: A deficiency of vitamin D can cause joint pain and related problems.
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Watch out for these early symptoms of arthritis
Arthritis mostly affects a person at old age. Most people experience a variety of health concerns at this age. You may be undergoing changes in your skin, heart health, mobility, digestive health and whatnot. It is, therefore, possible to miss the early symptoms of arthritis.
Surprisingly, the prevalence of arthritis is higher than that of many popular ailments such as diabetes and cancer. This condition nearly 180 million people in India. The rising incidence makes it important to learn about the signs and symptoms of arthritis.
In this article, Dr Debashish Chanda, a leading orthopaedic doctor in Gurgaon, discusses arthritis symptoms and treatment.
Table of Contents
Let us explore what arthritis is before we find out about arthritis symptoms.
Arthritis is a condition that causes inflammation of the joints. This ailment can impact people across ages, however, it is highly common in people over the age of 50. Arthritis in children and young adults is possible but rare.
Arthritis symptoms depend on the joint that has been affected. However, some common warning signs indicate this ailment:
Sometimes, arthritis can also cause non-joint related symptoms. These include:
There are more than 100 different types of arthritis depending on the joint they affect. However, two types of arthritis are most common among all – Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid arthritis.
Osteoarthritis is the most common among all types of arthritis. It is considered as degenerative arthritis that impacts most patients.
The ends of your bones are protected by smooth cartilage. Osteoarthritis happens when this protective cartilage wears down and causes your bones to rub together. This situation leads to pain and inflammation in your joints that are at further risk of developing into other conditions.
Symptoms: The common symptoms of osteoarthritis include pain, inflammation, loss of flexibility, joint soreness and morning stiffness.
Osteoarthritis can affect any joint in your body. However, it mostly impacts the hands, knees, hips and spine. It is because these joints suffer from most wear and tear from bearing most of your body’s weight.
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease (when your immune system mistakingly attacks healthy cells in your body). It is also one of the common types of arthritis.
Women are three times more likely of being affecting by rheumatoid arthritis as compared to men. In this chronic disorder, your immune system targets your healthy joint tissues and causes pain and inflammation.
Symptoms: Common rheumatoid arthritis symptoms include tenderness and swelling in joints, morning stiffness, fatigue, fever and loss of appetite.
Rheumatoid arthritis majorly affects the joints that attach your fingers to your hands and your toes to your feet. This condition can also affect your eyes, skin, heart, kidneys, nerve tissues, lungs and more.
Lupus, Ankylosing spondylitis, infectious arthritis and reactive arthritis are more types of arthritis affecting people worldwide.
Read: Your comprehensive guide to joint pains and their treatment
There is no arthritis cure. Medical science has not yet discovered any curative measure for this condition. Although there have been no advancements in how to cure arthritis, effective measures are present to treat this condition.
Your doctor will indicate several diagnostic tests to confirm the type of arthritis. He/she will also discuss the severity of your symptoms during the preliminary exams.
Some of the common tests done before arthritis treatment are laboratory tests, X-rays, CT scans, MRI, ultrasound and more.
There are surgical and non-surgical interventions for arthritis treatment. Your healthcare provider will indicate the relevant treatment protocol based on your diagnosis. Your arthritis symptoms and treatment depend on several factors such as your overall health, type of arthritis, the severity of symptoms and more.
Most people feel relief from arthritis symptoms after medicinal support. Your doctor may indicate surgical joint repair, joint replacement or joint fusion as a remedy to your arthritis.
Arthritis prevention or management of arthritis symptoms is possible with the help of simple lifestyle changes.
Here are some steps you can take for arthritis prevention:
Albeit the fact that there is no arthritis cure, it is possible to live a healthy life and alleviate symptoms of this ailment. The early symptoms of arthritis allow us to take preventive measures and avail treatment at a sooner stage.
You can consult Dr Debashish Chanda – best bone & joint specialist at the CK Birla Hospital to learn more about arthritis symptoms and treatment.
Also, read: Can you prevent osteoporosis by just increasing your calcium intake?
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