Multiple joint pains

Bhagwati Ayurveda & Panchkarma Research Centre/Multiple joint pains

Multiple joint pains

Pain that seems to be coming from joints can sometimes be coming from structures outside the joints, such as ligaments, tendons, or muscles. Examples of such disorders are bursitis and tendinitis.

True joint pain (arthralgia) may or not be accompanied by joint inflammation (arthritis). The most common symptom of joint inflammation is pain. Inflamed joints may also be warm and swollen, and less often the overlying skin may be red. Arthritis may involve only joints of the limbs or also joints of the central part of the skeleton, such as the spine or pelvis. Pain may occur only when a joint is moved or may be present at rest. Other symptoms, such as rash, fever, eye pain, or mouth sores, may be present depending on the cause of the joint pain.

Different disorders tend to affect different numbers of joints. Because of this, doctors consider different causes of pain when the pain affects one joint (see Joint Pain: Single Joint) than when it affects more than one joint. When multiple joints are involved, some disorders are more likely to affect the same joint on both sides of the body (for example, both knees or both hands) than other disorders. This is termed symmetric arthritis. Also, in some disorders, an attack of arthritis remains in the same joints throughout the attack. In other disorders, arthritis moves from joint to joint (migratory arthritis).

Symptoms

Polyarthralgia is a non-inflammatory condition that can have several symptoms, including:
  • Joint pain
  • Joint tenderness
  • The stiffness of the joints
  • Swelling of the joints
  • Limited joint movement
  • Weakness
  • Fatigue
How painful the joints feel will also depend on the person’s emotional state and pain tolerance.

Differences with other types of arthralgia, arthritis, and polymyalgia

Although sharing some similarities, polyarthralgia differs from other inflammatory and non-inflammatory pain syndromes in the following ways:
  • Arthralgia affects one joint instead of several joints.
  • Arthritis pain is associated with joint inflammation, which is absent in arthralgia and polyarthralgia.
  • Polyarthritis pain is also associated with joint inflammation and usually affects five or more joints.
  • Oligoarthritis or oligoarticular disease affects two to four joints.
  • Osteoarthritis causes pain in the joints of the knee, hips, and hands.
  • Myalgia refers to muscle pain with no signs of inflammation.
  • Polymyalgia is muscle pain that affects several muscles.

Causes:

In most cases, the cause of pain originating inside multiple joints is arthritis. Disorders that cause arthritis may differ from each other in certain tendencies, such as the following:
  • How many and which joints they usually involved
  • Whether the central part of the skeleton, such as the spine or pelvis, is typically involved
  • Whether arthritis is sudden (acute) or longstanding (chronic)

Acute arthritis affecting multiple joints is most often due to

  • Viral infection
  • The beginning of a joint disorder or a flare-up of an existing chronic joint disorder (such as rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis)
  • Gout or calcium pyrophosphate arthritis (previously called pseudogout)
Less common causes of acute arthritis in multiple joints include Lyme disease (which also may affect only one joint), gonorrhoea and streptococcal bacterial infections, reactive arthritis (arthritis that develops after an infection of the digestive or urinary tract), and gout.

Chronic arthritis affecting multiple joints is most often due to

  • Inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, or systemic lupus erythematosus (in adults)
  • The noninflammatory disorder osteoarthritis (in adults)
  • Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (in children)
Some chronic inflammatory disorders can affect the spine as well as the limb joints (called the peripheral joints). Some affect certain parts of the spine more frequently. For example, ankylosing spondylitis more commonly affects the lower (lumbar) part of the spine, whereas rheumatoid arthritis more typically affects the upper (cervical) part of the spine in the neck.

Treatment

Ayurveda is a very old system of medicine, which originated in India. Using herbs found in nature to cure various illnesses, knee pain and joint pain can also be permanently cured with this method indigenous to India. Arthritis and Joint pain are among the most prevalent problems faced by adults, mostly old people. As per Ayurveda, ‘vata dosha’ Is responsible for joint and knee pain.

Here are some common Ayurvedic remedies, which help reduce knee pain:

  • Ashwagandha: Ashwagandha is medically known as Withania Somnifera. In the West, Ashwagandha is popularly known as Winter Cherry. Also, it has a lot of therapeutic properties, which include reducing joint pains.
  • Banyan: The Banyan tree’s medical name is Ficus benghalensis. It has a sap very similar to the form of rubber known as latex is derived from the Banyan tree. The Banyan tree’s sap is externally applied over the joints and the pain usually disappears after a few regular applications.
  • Garlic: The medical name for garlic is Allium sativum. Five to six cloves eaten every day has proved to reduce knee pains.
  • Ginger: Ginger is biologically called Zingiber Officinale. These can be easily included in your diet and go a long way in curbing knee pain.

Prevention

Hot & Cold Compress: Cold and hot compresses can be utilized to ease your joint pain effectively. Heat compression decreases the pain, increases the blood circulation and relaxes the swollen joints and muscles. On the other hand, cold therapy lessens the inflammation of the affected joint. Place hot and cold towel alternatively on the affected area to achieve immediate relief from persistent pain.

Turmeric: Add a pinch of turmeric and a teaspoon of honey in a glass of lukewarm water and drink this solution on a regular basis for a week. Turmeric contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which makes it an excellent remedy for treating joint pains.

Healthy diet: A balanced diet that comprises a lot of green leafy vegetables and fresh seasonal fruits is good for your joints. The uncontrolled intake of fatty food, dairy products, and high sodium diet must be avoided in order to avoid arthritis and joint pain. Prevention is better than cure and in order to follow that it is always beneficial to get your complete body check up done from time to time.