Joint pain throughout the body is not a disease but a symptom. However, painful feelings often spread to the muscles, making it difficult to get up even from bed. Many diseases lead to such unpleasant consequences, it is impossible to treat the pain without determining the exact cause. What symptoms should you focus on and what should you do?
The main causes of pain
If more than one joint hurts, not more, but all at once, this is a sign of systemic damage to the body. Also, it’s hard to understand exactly where the pain is localized - in the joints, muscles, bones, or everywhere at once. The pain is felt throughout the body, making it difficult to localize. Therefore, any joint can hurt:
- Too intense physical activity.
- Infectious diseases.
- Pathological changes in connective tissues.
- Diseases of the circulatory system.
- Oncological diseases.
- Neuralgia.
As can be seen from the above, it is impossible to immediately understand the causes of pain. The exact cause can only be determined after the appropriate tests have been performed. If the previous day’s hard physical work is out of the question, we are talking about diseases that need to be treated.
Why it's dangerous
First, severe pain throughout the body reduces mobility, but it is not the main danger. The main danger is the disease, which has caused painful sensations in the joints. Self-healing in such cases is extremely dangerous as it leads to only the symptoms going away while the disease itself progresses. You can try to relieve the pain and possible swelling on your own, but you should definitely see a doctor after that.
Symptoms of the disease
Any disease has its own characteristic symptoms. Since pain is the most obvious sign, its characteristics must first be determined:
- Type of pain (sore, sharp, convulsions).
- Localization (joints, surrounding muscles, bones).
- Whether it passes through the body or a separate area is constantly hurting.
- Constant pain or cramps are intermittent.
- Intensity of feelings.
In addition, the patient may experience weakness, severe fatigue, or muscle pain. Other symptoms vary depending on the cause of the pain:
- Surge. . . Excessive physical activity the previous day can lead to the whole body hurting the next day. This is due to the production of lactic acid that accumulates in the muscles. In this case, a good warm-up is enough to relieve the pain.
- Infections. . . Joint pain is often accompanied by diseases such as influenza, fever, meningitis, and even the usual acute respiratory infections in advanced form. In addition to pain, the symptoms are complemented by coughs, rashes, chills, weakness, nausea and indigestion, and high body temperature.
- Viral hepatitis. . . In addition to the possible pain, the yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes and the deterioration of appetite can be observed with liver damage.
- Pathological changes in connective tissue. . . Arthritis, lupus erythematosus, polymyositis - all of which can cause joint pain. In addition, certain diseases of the heart, kidneys, lungs, vascular system, and nervous system can also lead to painful sensations in the joints.
- Diseases of the blood. . . In addition to body aches, the patient has a fever, pale skin, lymph nodes, liver and spleen size. In this condition, vulnerability to infectious diseases increases. In acute form, such diseases are life-threatening if not treated in time.
- Oncology. . . In oncological tissue damage, joint pain may occur earlier than the disease itself. In addition, symptoms such as weakness, weight loss, poor appetite, fever, mood swings, depression speak of oncology.
- Neuralgia. . . In addition to diseases of the nervous system, in addition to pain in the joints and muscles, the patient may experience numbness, loss of sensitivity, and weakness of the fingertips. In addition, the hair begins to fall out and the skin becomes drier and thinner.
If joint pain is accompanied by any of the listed symptoms, this is a reason to consult a specialist.
Diagnostic methods
Who to contact for body-wide pain complaints:
- Rheumatologist.
- Hematologist.
- Oncologist.
- Infectious.
After the doctor has examined the patient and listened to the complaints, he should send the patient for examination. The following diagnostic methods are used to identify the diagnosis:
- General urine test.
- General blood test.
- Biochemistry of blood.
- LHC blood and smear analysis.
- Bone marrow puncture.
- CT and MRI.
- Neuromyography.
The comprehensive examination provides a complete picture of the patient's condition. Only then can we talk about a particular disease and prescribe treatment.
Treatment of joint pain
The method of treatment is chosen by the doctor based on the data obtained during the study. The most common is medication. A wide variety of medications can treat almost any cause of joint pain. The choice of drug groups depends on the type of disease:
- Antibiotics
- Anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Analgesics.
- Hormonal drugs.
- Immunosuppressants
- Cytostatics.
Many of the drugs in these groups have serious contraindications - some should not be taken in the presence of tumors. In addition, almost all drugs have their own contraindications and side effects. This is one of the reasons why it is impossible to choose medications on your own and take them recklessly. The exact dose and type of medicine will only be prescribed by a doctor. If there is no result after dosing, the person skilled in the art can replace the medicine with another one.
Surgery is needed in extreme cases where medication is helpless. Surgery is usually prescribed for cancers and blood disorders. In the case of cancer, surgery can be supplemented with radiation therapy, and in the case of severe blood diseases, bone marrow transplantation is required.
Prophylaxis
To prevent joint pain, you should follow six simple recommendations:
- Proper nutrition. . . First, the balanced menu provides the body with all the materials it needs to function normally. Second, proper nutrition will help you maintain your weight. Obesity is known to be a cause of joint pain.
- Chondroitin and glucosamine. . . These substances are essential for joint health. They are found in meat, cartilage and fish.
- Drinking order. . . Fluid helps the metabolism, if there is not enough water in the body, the nutrition of the organs, muscles and joints will not be enough. Drink about 2 liters of water a day.
- Physical activity. . . Even regular morning exercise helps to normalize blood circulation, as a result of which the joints get enough nutrients.
- Caution. . . All joint injuries should be avoided.
- Vitamin complexes and dietary supplements. . . Missing vitamins and minerals can be obtained from preparations, the most important thing is to choose them correctly.
Simple tips can help keep your joints healthy. In addition to setting the diet and daily routine, preventive examinations should be performed regularly by doctors. This will help you detect the disease in time and start treatment.