What Causes Joint Pain?

Ever Have That Horrible Sore Joints Feeling?

The human body is an incredible piece of biological machinery. When it comes down to it, it’s a swirling mass of oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, phosphorus, calcium, and nitrogen (plus some minute other elements). It’s hard to fathom how it all comes together to create this incredible body that gets us through life.
As wondrous as it is, like any machine, sooner or later, something will go wrong. Illness can last a couple of hours, a few days or a week. But with 206 bones in the human body, it’s no surprise that millions of people around the world will suffer from some sort of joint pain.
Whilst it’s a common ‘catch-all’ term, the causes of joint pain will vary from person to person. You may just have pain in one joint or suffer from pain throughout your body, which can be caused by many conditions such as osteoarthritis. In this blog we will explain joint pain and how you can start living pain-free again:

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Knee ​

If your pain is limited to one joint, then the cause can come from a number of issues. The most common joint that gets damaged is in the knee. Given that it takes the full weight of your body on a daily basis, it is particularly vulnerable to pain. But this isn’t always down to the joint itself.
Typically the injuries around the knee joint are tendon or cartilage based, Runners Knee, patellofemoral pain, meniscal tears or osteoarthritis.
When it is joint pain, this is often caused by the inflammation of the joint lining. This is the thin tissue lining the joints and tendons.

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Arthritis
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If you are feeling pain in multiple joints across your body, then the most common cause is rheumatoid arthritis which causes pain and swelling. In the early stages, the pain tends to come and go, often with long periods between flair-ups.
Arthritis is an autoimmune disease, which means the system that usually fights infection mistakenly begins to attack the cells that line your joints making them stiff, painful and swollen. Over time this gets worse and can cause severe joint pain and limit your movement as it develops.
The other common form of arthritis that causes joint pain is psoriatic arthritis. This form is more unpredictable and affects those, as the name suggests, with the skin condition psoriasis. Like other forms of arthritis, your joints will swell, stiff and painful.

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Joint Pain

Whilst arthritis is relatively common, it’s not the only cause of joint pain. Pain can be caused by a viral infection, a disease within the connective tissue or because of an injury. Rarer conditions that can cause it are things like Behçet's Syndrome, ankylosing spondylitis. And it can also occur following cancer treatments.
If you are suffering from joint pain, then what can you do about it? Obviously, it’s not always going to be a condition that just disappears on its own, unless it’s a mild injury, so you should always speak to your doctor. You can also speak to a chiropractor who will begin to address the underlying issues, especially if the pain isn’t a result of an injury. They will be able to help ease the pain using everything from ice to reduce the swelling, right up to massage, and mobility exercises.

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Chronic Pain ​

​Joint pain in extreme cases can be debilitating and the constant pain you feel can get you down. The good news is that it’s often treatable and can be managed with medication, exercises and in many cases manual therapy. Pain in your joints isn’t easy to see, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be managed and controlled allowing you to enjoy life the way it should be. Like any machine, you need to look after your body to get the most from it.

​Contact Us Today

You need to make sure your muscles are ache-free and ready to work through everything you’ve got planned. One way to do this by having a consultation with a chiropractor, so why not book in with a friendly and professional chiropractor today? Please feel free to give our specialist team a call on 01604 754456, or fill out an enquiry form today.