People may suffer from joint pain due to a deficiency of vitamin D, magnesium, and calcium, or, in some cases, when fluids get collected in the joint and owing to cartilage degeneration arising from injury or increasing age.
In other words, it is arthralgia, which may or may not be inflamed and may be accompanied by warmth or swelling.
What is joint pain?
A joint is the meeting point of two bones. It might be a matter of concern if the joints become swollen, inflamed, and stiff.
You may find it difficult to move that specific joint and experience discomfort in your body.
That's what joint pain is, and it might happen to weaken your muscles, ligaments, and tendons.
Common Symptoms of Joint Pain
When there is a loss of cartilage, joints rub against each other and make the person’s life difficult. The noted symptoms of joint pain are:
Major Causes of Joint Pain
Increasing age may cause mild to severe forms of joint pain, and the given reasons are:
Arthritis:
It is the inflammatory conditions that may weaken the articular cartilage or cause the accumulation of fluids, and weaken the surrounding tissues, which may be tendons and muscles.
Osteoarthritis
It is the outcome of the breakdown of cartilage over some time.
Rheumatoid arthritis
It happens when the synovial fluid becomes a toxic fluid and goes on to weaken the joints and associated tissues.
Gout
Accumulation of uric acid in the joints causes swelling and inflammatory gout. It makes anyone go through a painful experience.
Other types of arthritis
Arthritis, as per Ayurveda, comes in different forms: Sandhivata, Amavata, and Vatarakta.
- Sandhivata is the dry form of arthritis wherein there is excess vata elevation. You may experience cracking, stiffness, and pain in the joints.
- The combination of Ama and Pitta imbalances may heighten the problem of Pitta-type arthritis, or Amavata. It causes a burning sensation in addition to intense pain and redness.
- Elevated kapha followed by vata makes the person feel heaviness and a cold sensation in the joints. It is Vatarakta, which is familiar with Gout.
Injuries:
Falling from the bicycle, suffering from an accident, or getting hurt in any outdoor sports, let’s say cricket, football, tennis, or even swimming or diving, may bring the following challenges to your joints:
Sprains and strains
Such forms of injury do affect the ligaments and tendons in the form of swelling, bruises, and immobility. You may be affected by the condition when you find difficulty moving that affected part of the body.
Dislocations
It may be a temporary deformity that may arise in the joints owing to the shifting
of the bones from one another.
Fractures
It is the breakage of the bone, which may be in a minor or severe form.
Overuse:
Repeated movements of the joints in a specific area may weaken your joints and affect the surrounding muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
Tendinitis
Fibrous tissues get inflamed, which might get connected between the bones and muscles.
Bursitis
It degenerates the natural thickness of muscles with the progression of pain, swelling, and stiffness.
Other conditions:
One might experience other severe conditions in joints as a result of a weak immune system, weak tissue conditions, immobility, and discomfort.
Lupus
It is another form of arthritis that happens to attack its cells and may lead to serious health disorders affecting the kidneys, brain, lungs, and heart.
Fibromyalgia
It is a form of weakness, pain, and swelling that might arise owing to severe tiredness, sleep, and memory disorders.
Infections
The body might respond to the infection severely, which might further slow down the flow of blood.
Cancer (rare)
It is identified in the form of a lump or swelling near the joints, which may damage the surrounding tissues.
Types of Joint Pain
Ankylosing spondylitis
Repeated bending or movement, or sitting in one place might affect the spine and surrounding tissues with stiffness, inflammation, and pain. That specific portion of the body makes the person suffer from unbearable pain and inflammation.
Gout
Many suffer from intense pain, inflammatory sensations, and swelling as a collection of uric acid in the joints. This type of joint pain has been noticed in diabetic people.
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
The inflammatory conditions in the joints may surface for a short period or may last for a lifetime in teenagers or younger children. Neglecting such a kind of arthritis may lead to different complications in the body.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a form of deterioration of cartilage in the joints and thereby increasing the conditions of stiffness, swelling, and immobility.
Psoriatic arthritis
Psoriatic arthritis is a form of arthritis that affects the body of any person who suffers from red patches on the skin that cause itching sensations.
Reactive arthritis
Constant pain in any part of the body, which may be an organ or joints weakening any other joints, or spreading pain in specific joints, is a form of reactive arthritis.
Rheumatoid arthritis
It is the increase in inflammatory fluid in the joints that causes swelling. Pain and difficulty in movement. Rheumatoid arthritis makes the person tired and stressed after a little mobility.
Septic Arthritis
Due to any form of injury, toxicity, and infection, it reaches the joints and raises inflammatory conditions. This form of arthritis has been observed more in children and must be seriously taken care of.
Thumb arthritis
This type of arthritis or joint pain happens to target elderly people. The cartilage wears down at the base of the thumb and causes inflammatory and stiff conditions.
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Risk Factors for Joint Pain
Several unavoidable factors might contribute to joint pain which may be like:
- Joint pain or arthritis has been found to strike the person suffering from irritable bowel syndrome.. Or else one might get affected by joint pain in the body as a result of chronic diabetic conditions. And it might lead to tingling, nerve pain, or muscle spasms.
- Injury in the recent or early past, weakening the cartilage of the joints
- repeating the same joints and muscles.
- A person undergoing the problems of depression, anxiety, and stress.
- A person undergoing the problems of depression, stress, and anxiety can cause obstacles to the functioning of the joints.
- Obesity or suffering from excess fat increases pressure on the joints and makes them suffer highly from inflammatory joint pain. Because the toxic fats do not let the blood flow into the joints.
These above-mentioned factors may also be the causes of knee pain in young adults.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Joint pain as a result of repeated use, injury, and the process of aging needs not only a doctor's intervention but also stress management.
Verification of the condition of joint pain is done with the help of an X-ray, a blood test, and the condition of synovial fluid.
Performing stretching exercises will help you lose weight, improve the circulation of blood, and enhance flexibility in your joints.
Avoiding alcoholism and drugs are certain lifestyle changes to ease pain naturally.
Ayurvedic Herbs for Joint Pain
Turmeric
Consuming turmeric as a part of culinary cuisine or as a supplement will help reduce inflammatory joint pain conditions.
The presence of curcumin in turmeric helps in removing the toxins accumulated in the joints.
Ashwagandha
Ashwagandha, with its high rate of adaptability, happens to reduce stress levels.
One can consume it in the form of tea or a supplement to reduce the discomfort and inflammatory conditions in the joints.
Boswellia
Its effectiveness in altering the inflammatory response in the joint happens to be sourced from boswellic acid.
Anyone suffering from osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis can have a steady recovery and gain strengthened immunity without experiencing any side effects.
Ginger
People have experienced an improvement in their joint pain conditions by consuming tea enriched with ginger.
The impact of gingerol in ginger may counter the discomfort and painful situations in the joints.
Guggul
It is capable of controlling cartilage degeneration and triggering lubrication in joints.
It increases flexibility and elasticity in the joints with its resin-like properties, which are extracted from the bark or stem of a specific plant.
Yoga for Joint Pain Relief
Doing yoga for joint pain relief can be a beneficial option. Poses like Utthita Parsvakonasana, Setu Bandhasana, Cat-Cow Pose, Bridge Pose, Virabhadrasana, Dhanurasana, Low Lunge, Seated Spinal Twist, and Chair Pose may help relieve joint pain.
Practicing yoga not only aids in joint pain relief but also enhances your overall health and well-being.
Conclusion
Joints are in different areas of the body, such as the knees, ankles, hips, spines, hands, and wrists.
These joints tend to get inflamed with increasing age, a weak immune system, obesity, a deficiency of nutrients, and overuse of joints.
In most cases, elderly people are affected, and sometimes, children and teenagers go through serious arthritis problems like juvenile and septic arthritis. Diagnosis is highly essential, followed by pain relieving medication.
Frequently Asked Question
Q1. What vitamins help joint pain?
Ans: Vitamin B3, B9 and B12 has proven to be successful in healing arthritis problems and boosting flexibility and movement.
Vitamin E triggers growth of cartilage cells and it is helpful in controlling inflammation, swelling and pain rising due to osteoarthritis.
Q2. What deficiency causes joint pain?
Ans: In order to maintain healthy joints throughout life, one must have vitamin D, A, C , E, zinc, selenium and flavanols.
Q3. How can I fix joint pain?
Ans: It is always better to consult a doctor for recovering from joint pain. Depending on the diagnosis, you will be given a specific treatment. However, it is always better to focus on a natural diet rich in fruits, vegetables, ghee, fish, eggs and wholegrains and light to medium level of exercises. You must also choose well researched and validated ayurvedic oil and apply it to combat the physical pain and inflammation and mental trauma as well.
Q4. What are the first signs of arthritis in your hands?
Ans: Signs of arthritis noticed in the hands are pain, inflammation, swelling and immobility.
Q5. How do I stop arthritis in my hands?
Keep the habit of stretching your fingers, using splints or braces and applying massage with any ayurvedic oil rich in Mahanarayana and karpoor.