Why do my joints hurt? Causes of Joint Pain and Joint Pain Medication

Causes of Joint Pain and Joint Pain Medication

Joints are the connections between bones. Their function is to provide support along with helping to move. If your joints get damaged due to any injury or disease, you may find yourself in a lot of discomfort.

With joint pain being extremely common, you may find a lot of adults there who have joint pain. The most common joint pain is knee pain, shoulder pain comes next followed by hip pain. However, joint pain can cause pain in any joint in the body. 

Causes of Joint Pain

There are multiple reasons responsible for joint pain:

• Osteoarthritis: A kind of arthritis that is most common in adults.
• Rheumatoid Arthritis: It is a kind of autoimmune disease that occurs when the body starts attacking its own tissues.
• Bursitis: This condition occurs when the fluid sacs that provide cushioning to joints get inflamed.
• Gout: It is also a kind of arthritis that affects the joint in the big toe.

There can be more reasons apart from this as well. Do remember to check with a medical expert to confirm the same.

The pain in joints comes with many other effects like stiffness, inflammation, swelling, and loss of mobility/motion range. Joint pain can last for some time as in a few weeks (acute pain) and last longer as well even for many weeks or even months (chronic pain). The quality of life can get impacted in both though. If you are also experiencing these symptoms, visit a doctor as he will help you to diagnose the reason behind the pain and prescribe the treatment accordingly. 

Oral Medications

If your joint pain ranges from moderate-severe and you also experience swelling, medicines like naproxen, ibuprofen, celecoxib, aspirin, etc can be consumed. These are nonsteroidal drugs and anti-inflammatory. But these do have side effects like gastrointestinal bleeding which occurs in very few cases.

However, in cases where you experience mild pain, you can have acetaminophen. If you consume alcohol, you need to be cautious as high doses of this medicine may result in liver damage.

In case of severe pain, where NSAIDs don't work, you may get an opioid medication prescribed by the doctor. However, these medicines may cause drowsiness so these should always be taken only under medical supervision. Constipation is a side effect of opioid medicines that can be relieved by consuming laxatives. Certain muscle relaxants may also be prescribed for treating muscle spasms, and can also be used together to increase the effect.

Chondroitin and glucosamine supplements are also helpful in case of joint pain. These supplements are actual components that form cartilage, the cushioning of joints. These supplements can be consumed in any form like liquid, powder, tablet, or capsule.

Injections

Sometimes topical or oral medications don't work for joint pain and in such cases, doctors prescribe injections. The following injections are mostly prescribed by doctors.

• Steroids being the most common medicine injected, doctors, suggest doing it every three to four months. Patients diagnosed with tendonitis or arthritis are prescribed steroid injections. 
• PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma Therapy): It is a procedure in which the blood from the body is used to make PRP and is injected into the affected joints. This increases the amount of protein and platelets that are known to have immune-modulating and inflammatory effects.
• Prolotherapy: Prolotherapy involves multiple injections in a certain series that are injected into tendons, ligaments, and joints. The healing of tissues gets stimulated by the injections.

Physiotherapy/ Physical Therapy

Physical therapy is also suggested to some people that work to increase the strength of muscles around the joint. This increases the stability and motion range of joints. Techniques like manipulation, nerve stimulation via electrical impulse, cold or heat therapy, ultrasound, etc may be used. These techniques may vary according to the condition you have been diagnosed with and also the intensity of your condition.

Homecare Tips To Follow

There are tips you can follow on your own to relieve the pain in joints from the comfort of your home. If you are overweight, try to lose weight as extra weight exerts pressure on the joints. You can opt for exercises having a low impact as high-impact exercises may increase the pain in your joints aggravating your problem even further. Also, take care of your nutrition as a good and healthy diet is essential to keep the bones healthy. Poor nutrition only worsens the problem in the long run. Consume good fats, Omega-3, calcium, and Vitamin-D sources that keep the joints healthy.

Try protecting your joint with any wrap of the brace. Give proper rest to the joint and try to stay away from activities that increase the pain or cause it. An electric wrap can be used for compressing the joint. You can use ice packs for cold therapy. A heating pad can be used for hot therapy on joints. But hot as well as cold therapy needs to be done with caution. This also relieves muscle spasms. These techniques help to calm down inflammation and pain.

Whatever technique, medication, or treatment you have been following, always consult your doctor immediately if you experience intense pain, deformity in joints, or sudden inflammation. Notice the kind, intensity, and frequency of pain you experience if you start feeling pain every now and then. Delaying the same will only make things worse for you. 

AyurSesha Care Fit Pain Relief Oil

Care Fit Pain Relief Oil works wonders for relieving the pain caused in joints as well as muscles. This oil is also beneficial in reducing headaches, relaxing the mind, and improving the quality of sleep. The ingredients and main components used to formulate this oil are peppermint, wintergreen, jojoba, clove, and wintergreen. This oil works its magic in reducing inflammation and relieving the pain caused. This oil can also be used in homecare tips to care for joint pain. It comes in a roll-on packing which makes it even more convenient to use on any part of the body.