What can cause joint pain?
Joint pain can be caused by a number of things. These can include;
- Osteoarthritis – The ends of your bone are covered in cartilage. Over time this wears away and when it’s gone the bones can hit each other, and sometimes, tiny pieces break off. The result is a stiff, swollen, painful joint.
- Rheumatoid arthritis – Sometimes your immune system attacks the lining of your joints (the synovium). RA is most likely to affect your wrist or finger joints, but it can show up anywhere in your body. It often causes constant pain and stiffness.
- Bursitis
- Gout
- Strains
- Sprains and other injuries!
Some other, more unusual reasons why your joints may be sore and stiff could be;
- Age – As we get older the cartilage in your joints begins to dry out and stiffen. Your body also makes less synovial fluid. Both of these things cause your joints to not move as freely as they used to.
- Time of day – Some research shows that joint stiffness may be worse in the morning due to a correlation between inflammation and a person’s circadian clock. Circadian rhythms regulate several daily activities including sleep and immune functions with related conditions including Rheumatoid Arthritis.
- A change in weather – Although no research supports this theory either way, some people say that their joint pain is worse when the weather changes
Treating joint pain
If you have been diagnosed with arthritis, you may have been prescribed anti-inflammatory medications and painkillers.
If you suffer from joint pain flare-ups or have suffered an injury to your joints and suffer from joint pain there are a number of ways to help ease your joint pain. These include;
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Your weight has a big impact on your joints. Extra weight increases the pressure put on your joints, especially your knees, hips and feet. Reducing the amount of pressure on your joints can improve your mobility, decrease pain and prevent future damage
- Increase your exercise
- Continuing the amount of exercise you do, or starting to take part in exercise can help to keep your joints in good condition while strengthening your muscles
- Use cold and hot therapy
- Hot and cold treatments can help to make a difference when it comes to joint pain. Long, warm showers or baths can help to ease stiffness while cold treatments can help to relieve joint pain, swelling and inflammation
- Use medication
- Products containing ibuprofen can help to reduce inflammation and swelling
What can cause muscle pain?
Usually it is simple for those who suffer from muscle aches to pinpoint the cause of them. This is because most instances of myalgia (muscle pain) result from too much stress, tension, or physical activity.
The most common causes of muscle pain are tension, stress, overuse and minor injuries. This type of pain is usually localised, affecting just a few muscles or a small part of your body.
Although these are the most common causes, some conditions can cause muscle aches including:
- Fibromyalgia
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Infections like the flu
How joint or muscle pain impacts your life also varies. Some people suffer from crippling pain that impacts their daily life, while others suffer from flare ups of pain that last a couple of days.
Who can get muscle pain?
Everyone of all ages can experience muscle pain. When you try a new activity or change your exercise routine you may experience ‘delayed-onset muscle soreness’ (DOMS)
Treating muscle pain
Usually muscle pain will get better on its own within a few days. The NHS recommends treating strains and sprains using the RICE method for the first couple of days;
- Rest – stop any exercise or activities and try not to put any weight on the injury.
- Ice – apply an ice pack (or a bag of frozen vegetables wrapped in a tea towel) to the injury for up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours.
- Compression – wrap a bandage around the injury to support it.
- Elevate – keep it raised on a pillow as much as possible.
You can also use painkillers including ibuprofen to help ease the pain and inflammation (paracetamol can also be used for pain relief).
How long does muscle pain last?
The NHS says that muscle pain caused by DOMS should only last for 3 to 5 days, with the worst of the pain being in the first 1 to 2 days after exercise.
How can I avoid muscle pain?
- When starting a new exercise routine begin gently and gradually. This will allow your muscles time to adapt to new movements and minimise soreness.
- Making sure your shoes are supportive, you may find it helpful to invest in some cushioned inserts for your trainers.
- Staying hydrated is also very important, because it helps to keep cartilage soft and pliable. Water takes up two thirds of your body and many people become dehydrated when not drinking enough fluids. Athletes lose a large amount of body fluids through sweat when exercising, meaning they may be at risk of becoming dehydrated more easily than those who exercise less. When you are dehydrated, your body begins to pull fluids out of your body tissue, which in turn causes aches and pains.
- When exercising, remember to warm up before and cool down after. You may also want to consider heat therapy after exercising. For example, taking a hot bath or applying warm towels to your muscles.