The sudden onset of joint pain can be a very unwelcomed guest in one’s daily routine. Joint pain can occur to anyone at anytime. However, while sudden joint pain may be painful and inconvenient, this phenomenon is well understood by medical professionals and diagnosing and treating joint pain is a relatively straightforward process. Here are some common causes and treatments for sudden joint pain that you can use to root out your problem.
Image via Wikipedia
1. Injury – Joint pain is commonly caused through injury suffered through a fall or sprain. The joints of the body necessitate movement between two fixed appendages, such as the bones that comprise the hand or the knee. Joints cushion the movements of these rigid structures and allow them to pivot while also absorbing much of the shock and torque that is incurred by walking, running, jumping and falling. Sudden joint pain may be caused by injury through falling, bruising or straining a joint.
Joints are tissue and typically become inflamed, like any other bodily tissue, due to injury. The inflammatory response is a natural reaction to trauma and it part of the healing process but entails discomfort and pain as the inflamed tissue, with its attached nerves, press up against surrounding tissues and bones. Ripping and tearing ligaments is also another way of causing sudden joint pain through injury. Joints are held in place by tendons and ligaments and the tearing or spraining of these ligaments can cause a joint to lose its position, becoming improperly located.
2. Condition – Sudden joint pain can also result from conditions like rheumatoid arthritis or Lyme disease. Conditions such as these cause stiffness and swelling of the joints, either from a degradation of the joint tissue or through swelling and inflammation of the joints, leading to pain and soreness that can appear suddenly but linger onwards for weeks, months of years until an effective treatment is found. Very often silent conditions like these are only identified through their symptoms like sudden joint pain.
While these two causes of sudden joint pain are quite broad, an individual diagnosis can only be made by a medical professional. If you are experiencing joint pain in expected places, seek the counsel of a doctor who can determine the cause of your discomfort through extensive X-rays or MRIs. Blood work may also bee necessary to determine the presence of certain joint pain conditions like Lyme disease.
Treatment for sudden joint pain usually involves anti inflammatory medication. These drugs treat the number one source of joint pain, inflamed tissue. Physical therapy is also a popular treatment option as it exercises the affected joint and can achieve lasting results in addition to anti inflammatory medications. Hot and cold packs to the affected area can also be beneficial, if only temporary fixes.
The key to treating joint pain is to be consistent with your treatments and to seek the advice of a medical professional should new sources of pain arise. While joint pain is largely due to treatable conditions and physical injuries, continuing joint pain may indicate more serious conditions that require the expertise of a medical professional to diagnose and treat.
