Joint pain causes

Anybody who has ever visited grandma or grandpa as a small child may well remember the distinctive antiseptic smell of Bengay joint pain reliever. The fact is, as we grow to be grandma and grandpa’s age, joint pain creeps up on all of us. The elderly are, of course, most commonly thought of when it comes to joint pain, but even the young – especially athletes and factory or assembly line workers who perform many repetitive movements – are susceptible to the aches and pains of joints from time to time. But why does joint pain occur? And what can we do to top or prevent joint pain causes?

Joint pain can be caused for a variety of reasons. The most common joint pain cause that people tend to think of is osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis most commonly occurs in people who have led a long and productive life for good reason – they have systematically throughout the years put intense pressure on their joints. Even if they did not play an intense sport or work in a factory assembly line, elderly people can develop arthritis. It is often just the fact that they spent years living and moving normally that ends up causing joint pain. On the other hand, one should not blame osteoarthritis solely on the day to day elements of living. Scientists have identified several hereditary, metabolic, chemical and other factors that tie into the occurrence of osteoarthritis.

Strain is another cause of joint pain. Pretend you are a parent and your 12 year old tennis champion daughter comes to you complaining of pain in her elbow. Would you immediately predict that she has osteoarthritis? Of course not! Joint pain can also occur in athletic individuals of any age, especially when the activity involves many repetitive motions, as sports like tennis, swimming, and golf all do. The elbow joint pain injury most associated with tennis even has a name – tennis elbow, and it is associated with a form of joint pain called tendonitis. Further, anybody can get a sprain, though they usually occur in the wrist or ankle. Sprains are a joint pain cause that occur when a joint is forced to move in an unnatural way, generally thorough “twisting,” such as twisting the ankle. Bursitis is another movement or injury related joint pain cause. Bursitis is one name for a condition that can be caused by many factors, including repetitive movement, gout, or even an infection in the body. Bursitis is most often found to occur in the shoulder, knee, elbow and hip joints, likely because they are some of the most commonly used joints of the body.

Gout can cause bursitis, but it can also be a joint pain cause all on its own. Gout is often said to be a disease that comes on due to poor nutrition, namely eating too much red meat. For that reason, gout was long known as a rich person’s disease, because poor people, until modern times, could not often afford to eat red meat regularly. But now days, as packaged red meat has become plentiful at grocery stores and as McDonald’s hamburgers become more and more popular as a quick after work snack or dinner, gout has become more prevalent as a joint pain cause.

Finally, some diseases and infections can cause joint pain. These can include diseases as common as the influenza or as dangerous and deadly as Lyme disease or mumps. If you or someone you know is suffering from unexplained joint pain, make an appointment with a primary care physician. Even if the joint pain is the result of old age, there are treatments that doctors can recommend to dull or lessen joint pain and help you maintain a high quality of life.

Last updated on Aug 6th, 2010 and filed under Musculoskeletal Disorders. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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