Arthralgia: what is it? Symptoms and Treatment

Arthralgia - periodic emergence of pain in the joints, in the absence of the characteristic signs and symptoms of their lesions. Usually, people who have pain in the joints begin to be treated yourself.

They are used for these purposes, ointments, painkillers, warming agents. However, they should know that the development of pain - a signal of the presence of functional problems. Therefore, you should find out the cause of pain, and to bear in mind the consequences of not observing the doctor and of treatment.

What it is?

Arthralgia - joint pain, developing as a result of any of the affected joint. Most often the disease affects the hip, knee, shoulder and elbow joints, at least ankle, interphalangeal and wrist joints.

Experts in the field of manipulation or rheumatologists physicians often use the term "arthralgia" when the patient experiences marked the defeat of the joints, without objective causes of disease.

Artralgichesky syndrome - this is not a single disease but a harbinger of the pathologies of the musculoskeletal system, or internal organs. Like any other disease of the skeletal system, arthralgia has its causes and contributing factors that trigger joint pain.

Causes of

Diseases that can cause acute or chronic arthralgia, are:

1. Ankylosing spondylitis.
2. Diseases of the blood.
3. Systemic lupus erythematosus, vasculitis.
4. Autoimmune liver disease.
5. Gout.
6. Chondrocalcinosis, microcrystalline arthritis.
7. Osteoarthritis of the joints.
8. Malignant tumor of the joints, bone metastases.
9. Joint injuries.
10. Drug allergy or side effects of medications.
11. Infectious diseases (Lyme disease, brucellosis, influenza, tuberculosis, hepatitis, rubella, etc.). Typically, during normal functioning of the immune system are joint pain after the treatment of the disease.
12. Infectious intestinal and urogenital disease, bacterial damage to the heart muscle.
13. Arthritis (rheumatoid, reactive, psoriatic). Pain syndrome in this case is recurrent in nature.
14. Painful conditions of muscles, ligaments, tendons and bones are often mimic arthralgia.

Arthralgia in children is most often observed in the acute phase of viral or bacterial diseases, such as rubella, salmonellosis.

Classification

In rheumatology identify several types of arthralgia, which are distinguished by the type of joint lesion depth, localization, pain intensity and duration of pain.

Depending on the number of damaged joints are distinguished 3 types of arthralgia:

Monoartralgiya	It affects only one joint, usually the inflammatory process affects the knee joint.
Oligoartralgiya	marked loss of 2 to 4 joints.
polyarthralgia	damaged more than 5 joints, most often characterized by migrating pain.

Due to the occurrence of arthralgia are distinguished:

• infectious;
• appearing on the background of joint diseases: neuralgia, arthritis, and others;
• formed due to cancer;
• psevdoartralgii - joint pain appears as a result of the defeat of the ligaments, muscles, nerve roots, bones.

Arthralgia are classified according to the intensity of pain: mild, moderately severe, intense. And also by the type - continuous, periodic, sharp, dull pain. The most typical and more common considered migrating pain that is chronic.

In addition to joint pain, arthralgia are characteristic often observed in patients with myalgia (muscle pain). In such cases, the doctor is much more difficult to determine the cause. It should be noted that even with careful inspection and instrumental examination the doctor is not always possible to identify the causes of the disease.

symptoms of arthralgia

The intensity and nature of the manifestation of unpleasant sensations often depend on what caused arthralgia: Symptoms range from chronic to transient. Pain may be acute, obtuse, aching, pricking, firing, burning, etc.

Often, the patient is able to distinguish the shape of their own painful experiences, especially if the joint damage has occurred due to mechanical injury ligament or tendon. And the nature of pain can diagnose the disease in certain circumstances.

Arthralgia, the cause of which is the infectious disease most often appears in the acute phase of the primary disease. Wherein the pain syndrome is accompanied by unpleasant sensations in the muscles (myalgia) and sense aches (ossalgiya). In case of formation of osteoarthritis pain is usually recurrent nature: enhanced by a sharp change in weather, after waking up at night.

However, arthralgia characterized by the absence of a violation of the basic functioning of the joints:

• tenderness to palpation;
• redness in the affected area;
• deformation;
• edema.

Moreover, at the initial stage of disease at diagnosis radiographic impossible to detect any changes in the affected joint. Accordingly, as in the diagnosis of arthralgia and polyarthralgia key symptoms of the disease, which has become the first cause, usually detected much later.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis of type arthralgia and identify its causes based on the compilation of a detailed clinical picture. The more details will be known rheumatologist, the exact diagnosis is made faster and assigned the appropriate treatment.

It will be necessary to find out:

• particularly where it hurts;
• what is the nature of pain (acute, dull pain and so on.);
• which joints are involved;
• how long it hurts;
• how much pain (intensive, moderate, mild pain);
• whether there is a weakening / strengthening of the pain during the day (intermittent pain, constant);
• Whether enhanced pain during movement.

In addition, the rheumatologist will send the patient to:

• Ultrasound of the joints;
• X-ray and xeroradiography;
• arthroscopy (minimally invasive surgical procedure aimed at identifying irregularities in the joint);
• arthrography contrast (X-ray with contrasting joint fluid);
• joint puncture (fence fluid contained in the joint, for signs of virus infections, etc.).
• Thermography (registration method of infrared radiation body);
• computed tomography;
• podography (feet study, the registration duration of the individual steps of periods);

Establishing the location and type of pain - the first step to making a diagnosis. It should be noted that very often in the early stages of disease are no other symptoms other than pain, a person does not feel. It is extremely important not to ignore them and to prevent progression of the disease.

arthralgia treatment

In adults, treatment of arthralgia literally held only symptomatic: arthralgia, and myalgia are removed with the help of painkillers. To cope with the discomfort and improve the patient's condition will help the following methods:

1. Admission NSAID chondroprotective, vitamins, cytostatics and corticosteroids (inflammatory process while running), muscle relaxants;
2. Antibiotics for identifying pathogens, antiviral drugs when confirming the primary diagnosis "hepatitis";
3. Traditional recipes: homemade ointments, compresses, lotions, herbal baths, rubbing, decoctions for oral use;
4. Modern physiotherapy: Electrophoresis, laser and magnetic therapy, application of paraffin and ozocerite, acupuncture, therapeutic baths;
5. The complex of physiotherapy exercises, massage and self-massage - the essential elements of the treatment of many articular pathologies. After the relief of acute inflammatory process, in addition to physical therapy procedures, Development is carried out delicate problem area (or group of joints with poly- and oligoartralgii).

The harder the level of detection of diseases, the need to more responsible approach to treatment. Doctor propose scheme for treating the underlying disease, relief of pain as a side effect of systemic pathology. In addition, it will warn about the side effects of medication.

ethnoscience

Traditional methods of treatment, in fact, are symptomatic, ie eliminate the only manifestation of the disease, but not the source. That is why such treatment is commonly used as bracing means.

The most popular home recipe - the infusion of birch buds. It has anti-inflammatory action. To make it quite 2 tablespoons Kidney pour 500ml boiling water and let it brew composition 2:00. Take this medicine twice a day for 0.5 cups.

In folk remedies recommended to add procaine (1 ampoule), which significantly enhances the analgesic effect of infusions, tinctures, and ointments prepared own. However, in all circumstances it is important to understand that self-medication can greatly aggravate the condition, so for the purpose of therapy scheme is better to consult a specialist.