Many people complain about joint pain. This causes great discomfort. Stiffness of the joints, which usually manifests itself in the morning, is considered a common occurrence. It takes time to develop joints. This may be due to a serious illness. The causes and treatment are described in the article.
Causes and symptoms
Joint stiffness can be in several places at once. It usually appears on the arms, legs, and rarely affects the spine. Morning stiffness in the legs is often seen in the elderly. This is normal as aging wears down the cartilage and therefore the joint does not move as it used to.
It takes about 20-30 minutes to warm up the joints to normal. Otherwise, you will need to wait several hours until the stiffness of the joints disappears. If the pain appears with the mobility of the joints of the arms and legs up to 45 years, then this indicates a dangerous deviation. What diseases morning jointstiffness observed, described below.
Reiter's Syndrome
This ailment may be the cause of joint stiffness. Reiter's syndrome appears due to infection of the genitourinary system with chlamydia and gonococcus. It appears in the form:
- conjunctivitis;
- joint damage;
- inflammation of the genitourinary system.
Inflammation is usually asymmetric. There is swelling and pain in the joints. Stiffness in the morning does not last long, and for some it may be absent. Often, the pathology affects the small joints of the foot. At the same time, tendonitis and bursitis appear - inflammation of the tendons and synovial bags.
Psoriasis
6% of patients with psoriasis experience stiffness in the joints of the fingers in the morning. In pathology, skin symptoms of the disease are observed. Joints of different sizes are involved in the asymmetric process. Stiffness in the morning passes quickly. Additional symptoms include damage to the mucous membranes of the eyes, mouth and genitals.
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatism is thought to be caused by streptococci. Pathology appears due to frequent respiratory ailments and is usually detected in children 10-15 years old. In rheumatism there is pain in the joints of the extremities. With a symmetrical process, there is a high temperature, general weakness, severe sweating.
The disease appears from the defeat of synovial bags, but this pathology is considered reversible. There are no serious disorders and degenerative changes.
Intervertebralosteoarthritis
Stiffness of the joints may be for this reason. The disease is detected in 30-40% of people in the world. It usually affects the large joints of the knees, pelvis, and shoulders, as they have an increased load. Stiffness in the morning is the first manifestation of the disease. Gradually there is a crunch and pain. Medical attention is needed to avoid complications.
Ankylosing spondylitis
Another disease is called ankylosing spondylitis. This is a chronic inflammation that usually develops in the spine. The consequence of the disease is the complete loss of joint mobility. Usually, pathology is detected in men 20-35 years old. The disease manifests itself in the form:
- chest and sacral pain;
- deterioration of the mobility of the spinal column;
- discomfort in the morning, which are eliminated by the warm-up.
With this ailment, there may be stiffness in the shoulder joint or any other. A person feels discomfort, and timely medical assistance is needed to eliminate it.
Rheumatoid arthritis
The disease usually affects the small joints in the hands and feet. Due to incorrect or untimely treatment, painful fingers are bent, which worsens performance. Joint stiffness is considered the main symptom of the disease. Inflammation does not relieve the feeling of discomfort even an hour after getting out of bed. The person has muscle weakness and a high temperature.
Reactive arthritis
What else does it meanjoint stiffness? This may be due to reactive arthritis. The disease develops due to infection of the body. This may be a complication of influenza, acute respiratory infections, tonsillitis, or a disease caused by E. coli. There is usually severe pain in the affected joints and asymmetric loss of mobility. In the pathological process, swelling is observed and the nearest tendons are affected.
Synovitis of the knee
Stiffness of the knee joint is considered a common occurrence. It appears from an infection from other organs, which leads to inflammation of the synovial membrane. It can also be associated with a knee injury, damage to the ligaments. Symptoms, treatment of synovitis of the knee joint in all people may be different.
The causes of the disease include developing arthritis, metabolic disorders, endocrine changes, and a strong sensitivity of synovial membrane cells to allergens. Swelling, pain, redness are symptoms of synovitis of the knee joint. Treatment of this ailment should be carried out under the strict supervision of a physician.
Diagnosis
To identify the cause of the deterioration of joint mobility and prescribe the correct treatment, diagnostic measures are required. They are:
- in general examination, history taking;
- clinical blood test;
- blood biochemistry;
- rheumatic tests;
- radiography;
- Ultrasound of joints.
The indicated procedures are performed by doctors. Only after receiving the results can bediagnosed and given effective treatment.
How are they treated?
To eliminate joint stiffness, inflammation and pain, it is important to determine the cause of the disorder. After that, appropriate measures of therapy are prescribed. Patients are often prescribed drugs:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Relieve inflammation and pain.
- Analgesics. They are prescribed for severe pain.
- Glucocorticosteroids. In difficult cases, intra-articular injections of hormones are likely.
- Chondroprotectors. With them, the cartilage of the joints is restored.
- Ointments with a warming effect.
- Vitamin complexes.
- Antibiotics. Appointed if the disease arose from an infectious lesion.
- Arthroplasty. When conservative methods of treatment fail, surgical intervention is needed.
Physiotherapy
With medicines for joint pain and stiffness, physical methods of influencing the pathology are used. Thanks to them, a pronounced effect is provided in a short time, getting rid of exacerbation. Procedures improve a person's condition. Allowed use:
- Electro- and phonophoresis.
- UHF therapy.
- Sinusoidal currents.
- Laser treatment.
- Magnetotherapy.
- Paraffin and mud treatment.
- Reflexology.
- Water therapy.
With the help of physiotherapy, inflammation in the joints is reduced, blood flow and biochemical processes in tissues are activated. This improves local metabolic processes.
Gymnastics and massage
After getting rid of pain, you can perform therapeutic exercises. It is considered an important component of conservative treatment. If there is no proper exercise, it is difficult to restore the functions of the painful parts of the musculoskeletal system. When performing gymnastics, you need to consider that:
- classes should be regular;
- requires a gradual increase in load;
- do not exercise when in pain;
- must follow doctor's advice;
- there must be desire and inner determination.
For all patients, individual sets of exercises are created, thanks to which the treatment will be quick and effective. Therefore, this method of therapy should be used.
Operation
If the conservative method of treatment does not show positive results, the surgical method is used. The operation is performed with severe disorders in the joint: inflammatory destruction or advanced degenerative processes. Then you need arthroplasty to remove the affected tissue or replace the joint with an artificial one.
With a timely visit to the doctor, as soon as the first signs of joint pathology appear, it will be possible to prevent unpleasant phenomena and restore physical activity.
To date, joint transplantation operations are being performed successfully. Most hip replacements result in complete recovery.mobility and pain relief. A high-quality implant works reliably from 10-15 years.
Surgeries are underway to replace small diarthrosis of the fingers. A knee replacement is also performed. To restore bone and cartilage tissue, the patient's own cells are used. Surgery is used when drugs do not work and joint function is impaired. The operation can be performed in the elderly in the absence of contraindications. And at a young age, this method is recommended only when the situation is critical.
Recommendations
Joint stiffness needs to be treated as early as possible. In addition to the use of medicines, you need to do exercises, go for walks. It is necessary to correct the body weight if there is excess weight.
Requires a balanced diet and drinking clean water (at least 2 liters per day), as dehydration adversely affects the joints. Keep in mind that drinking 4 cups of coffee every day doubles the risk of rheumatoid arthritis.
Forecast
With an active lifestyle and weight control, the patient can eliminate the problem by immobilizing the joints. It is important to monitor your condition. Need to see a doctor:
- in the presence of pain and swelling at the joint site;
- loss of joint mobility;
- appearance of pain and stiffness during movement.
Thus, stiffness of the joints appears in many ailments. At each ofThe doctor prescribes individual therapy for them. Timely access to a specialist and effective treatment can restore joint mobility.
