Achy joints can be extremely painful and can cause limitation of movement of the body. There are several causes of joint pains. One of which is arthritis which affects 52.5 million people in the United States. Alarmingly, this number is not even a fraction of what the totality of the number of joint pain sufferers worldwide. It can be a direct injury to the bone itself or the surrounding tissues of the joint such as the tendons, ligaments, cartilage etc.
Here are some of the most common causes of joint pains that may or may not affect you.
Arthritis
This condition is a condition that is caused by an inflammation of one or more joints. Symptoms include joint pain, stiffness and swelling of the affected joints. These symptoms may develop overtime or can suddenly develop. The prevalence of arthritis is seen among the ages 65 and above but is not limited to that age range.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
This type of arthritis is an autoimmune disease which means that there is a glitch in the immune system that causes it to attack itself. Rheumatoid arthritis affects the synovium, a soft tissue that surrounds the joint producing a fluid that keeps the joint lubricated.
Osteoarthritis
This is one of the most common types of arthritis because this is caused by the breakdown of the cartilage tissues in between the joints. Trauma or injury to the joints can intensify the damage of the cartilage tissues.
Bursitis
Bursae are tiny sacs of fluid that cushions friction of a bone against surrounding tissues such as skin, ligaments, tendons etc. These sacs are normally thin and only contain a few drops of fluid. Bursitis is the inflammation of the said sac due to either repetitive movement, infection or a complication of other joint related illnesses.
Tendinitis
Bones and muscles are often connected by a thick cord called tendons. When tendons are inflamed or they get irritated, the result is tendinitis. More often than not, it is caused by repetitive movements that cause micro tears in the tendons.
Gout
Gout develops when excess uric acid crystals find their way into joints causing them to swell and become painful. It often affects the joint of the big toe but can manifest in relatively the joints of the feet. Symptoms include swelling, pain and stiffness of the affected area.
Chondromalacia patella
This is the most common cause of chronic knee pain sufferers. This condition is characterized by the abnormal softening and/ or inflammation of the cartilage of the patella. The patella is the circular-triangular bone of the knee or the knee cap. The degeneration of this cartilage can either be a result of the poor alignment of the patella, chronic stress on the knee, trauma or injury to the kneecap, weak hamstrings and quadriceps.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Injury
When the ligament connecting the shin bone to the thigh bone is torn, most likely, pain is experienced and your knee becomes unstable, unable to bear any weight. Depending on the severity of the tear, treatment can either be rest and rehabilitation or surgery.
