What Are the Main Causes of Joint Pain?

Joint pain can be debilitating. It may feel like there is no end to the discomfort, and it seems that every movement will make matters worse. The pain you are feeling could be caused by several different things, but one thing is for sure, joint pain is never something to ignore or brush off as just an old age problem. There are many causes of joint pain, including injury, repetitive use, and arthritis. In Hazlet, NJ, you’ll find specialists ready to solve the joint pain problem you have. Look for a Hazlet joint pain expert who can pinpoint what is causing the problem. Here is what could be bringing about your joint pain.

Arthritis

Pain and stiffness in your joints are signs of osteoarthritis. Arthritis occurs when the protective cartilage on the ends of bones wears down over time. This condition often affects older adults as normal wear and tear, but it can happen to younger people due to injury or some other cause. Osteoarthritis pain tends to get worse with activity and improve during rest. Different types of arthritis include rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and fibromyalgia.

Injuries

Sports injuries, car accidents, and falls from heights can cause significant damage to joints. In most cases, when a joint is injured, the surrounding muscles tighten up to reduce movement to guard the injured structure. When you move the joint, the pain you feel indicates that this muscle guarding mechanism is at play.

Repetitive Stress Injury

Repeatedly using your joints to perform the same movements day after day can also cause pain, known as a repetitive stress injury or microtrauma. This sort of injury often occurs in people who work jobs requiring them to repeatedly perform the same task, such as assembly line workers. These microtraumas can occur from typing on a computer too long without breaks if you have a desk job.

Severe Muscle Strain

Severe overuse of your muscles or straining them in some way can cause pain and inflammation within the joints they cross. This is referred to as a joint strain. This injury often occurs to the groin, hamstring, hip flexor, or knee ligaments after excessive physical activity without a proper warm-up.

Cartilage Degeneration

Due to injury, the cartilage and ligaments will be injured and worn down in repeated trauma to the joints. Gradually, as more injuries occur and with aging, chondrocytes (cartilage cells) die out, leading to further cartilage structure loss.

Tendonosis

When you repeatedly use your muscles, such as overuse injuries, the tendons that attach the muscles to bone can become damaged through tiny micro-tears. These tears can occur both within the tendon itself and in the muscle belly surrounding it.

Joint Infection

This is uncommon, but joint infections can occur when bacteria or viruses enter the body through a pre-existing open wound. If a condition occurs in one of your joints, it will cause localized redness and extreme pain.

Bursitis

Joint pain can also result from inflammation in the bursa, tiny fluid-filled sacs that reduce friction between tissues. These sacs are found around your joints, and when they become inflamed, you will experience pain, warmth, redness, swelling, and restricted movement of that joint.

Joint pain can be caused by many different things, from injuries to arthritis. If you are experiencing joint pain, it is crucial to seek out the help of a specialist to determine the cause and get started on treatment.