Many people complain of joint pain. This is very discomforting. Stiffness of joints, which usually manifests itself in the morning, is considered a frequent occurrence. It takes time to design the joints. This may be due to a serious illness. The causes and treatment are described in the article.
Causes and symptoms
Stiff joints can be in several places at once. Usually it manifests itself on the arms, legs, and the spine affects in rare cases. Morning stiffness in the legs is often observed in older people. This is normal, as cartilage wears out during aging, and therefore the joint does not move as before.
To restore the normal operation of the joints, a warm-up of about 20-30 minutes is required. Otherwise, it will take several hours to wait until the stiffness of the joints disappears. If the pain appears with mobility of the joints of the arms, legs up to 45 years, then this indicates a dangerous deviation. For what diseases morning articular stiffness is observed, is described below.
Reuters Syndrome
The cause of stiffness of the joints can be this ailment. Reiter's syndrome appears due to infection of the genitourinary system with chlamydia and gonococcus. This 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 with pathology, small joints of the foot are affected. In this case, tendonitis and bursitis appear - inflammation of the tendons and synovial bags.
Psoriasis
In 6% of patients with psoriasis, stiff joints of the fingers in the morning are observed. With pathology, skin symptoms of the disease are observed. Joints of different sizes are involved in the asymmetric process. Stiffness in the morning is quick. Additional symptoms include damage to the mucous membranes of the eyes, mouth, and genitals.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
The cause of rheumatism is considered infection with streptococci. Pathology appears due to frequent respiratory ailments and is usually detected in children 10-15 years old. With rheumatism there are pains in the joints of the limbs. In a symmetrical process, high temperature, general weakness, and severe sweating are observed.
The disease appears from the defeat of the synovial bags, but this pathology is considered reversible. There are no serious violations and degenerative changes .
Intervertebral osteoarthrosis
Joint stiffness may also 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. To avoid complications, medical attention is needed.
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 mobility of the joint. Usually pathology is detected in men 20-35 years old. The disease manifests itself in the form of:
- pain in the chest and sacral joint;
- impaired mobility of the spinal column;
- unpleasant sensations in the morning that are eliminated by a warm-up.
With this ailment, there may be stiffness in the shoulder joint or any other. A person feels discomfort, and in order to eliminate it, timely medical help is needed.
Rheumatoid arthritis
The disease usually affects small joints on the hands and feet. Due to improper or untimely treatment, painful fingers bend, resulting in poor performance. The main sign of the disease is the stiffness of the joints. Inflammation does not relieve discomfort even an hour after getting out of bed. A person has muscle weakness and fever.
Reactive arthritis
What does stiffness of joints mean? This may be due to reactive arthritis. The disease develops due to infection of the body. This can be a complication of influenza, acute respiratory infections, tonsillitis, or a disease caused by E. coli. Usually there is severe pain in the affected joints and asymmetric loss of mobility. With the pathological process, edema is observed and the nearest tendons are affected.
Synovitis of the knee
Stiffness of the knee joint is considered a common occurrence . This 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 vary.
The causes of the disease include developing arthritis, metabolic disorders, endocrine changes, and strong sensitivity of the synovial membrane cells to allergens. Edema, pain, redness are among the symptoms of synovitis of the knee joint. The treatment of this disease should be carried out under the strict supervision of a physician.
Diagnostics
To identify the causes of deterioration in joint mobility and the appointment of the right treatment, diagnostic measures are required. They are:
- general examination, medical history;
- clinical blood test;
- blood biochemistry;
- rheumatic tests;
- radiography;
- Ultrasound of the joints.
These procedures are performed by doctors. Only after receiving the results can a diagnosis be made and effective treatment be prescribed.
How is it treated?
To eliminate joint stiffness, inflammation and pain, it is important to determine the cause of the disorder. After this, appropriate treatment measures are prescribed. Often, patients are prescribed medications:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. They relieve inflammation and pain.
- Analgesics. They are prescribed for severe pain.
- Glucocorticosteroids. In complex cases, intra-articular injections of hormones are likely.
- Chondroprotectors. With them, cartilage of the joints is restored.
- Ointments with a warming effect.
- Vitamin complexes.
- Antibiotics. They are prescribed if the disease arose from an infectious lesion.
- Endoprosthetics. With the impotence of conservative treatment methods, surgical intervention is needed.
Physiotherapy
With medicines for joint pain and stiffness, physical methods are used to influence the pathology. Thanks to them, a pronounced effect is achieved in a short time, getting rid of exacerbation. Procedures improve the condition of a person. Allowed to use:
- Electro and phonophoresis.
- UHF therapy.
- Sinusoidal currents.
- Laser treatment.
- Magnetotherapy.
- Paraffin and mud therapy.
- Reflexotherapy.
- Hydrotherapy.
With the help of physiotherapy, inflammation in the joints is reduced, blood flow and biochemical processes in the tissues are activated. This improves local metabolic processes.
Gymnastics and massage
After getting rid of the pain, therapeutic exercises can be performed. It is considered an important component of conservative treatment. If there is no proper exercise, it is difficult to restore the function of the painful sections of the musculoskeletal system. When performing gymnastics, you must consider that:
- classes should be regular;
- a gradual increase in load is required;
- Do not perform exercises with pain;
- It is necessary to follow the doctor's recommendations
- 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 therapy method should be used.
Operation
If the conservative treatment method does not show positive results, the surgical method is used. The operation is performed with severe violations in the joint: inflammatory destruction or advanced degenerative processes. Then we need arthroplasty to remove the affected tissue or replace the joint with an artificial one.
With timely access to a doctor, as soon as the first signs of joint pathology appear, it will turn out to prevent unpleasant phenomena and restore physical activity.
To date, joint transplant operations are successful. When replacing the hip joint in most cases, there is a complete restoration of mobility and the elimination of pain. A quality implant works reliably from 10-15 years.
Small finger diarthrosis is being replaced. Knee replacement is also performed . To restore bone and cartilage, the patient’s own cells are used. Surgical intervention is used when drugs do not bring results, and joint functions are impaired. The operation can be performed in old age in the absence of contraindications. And at a young age, this method is recommended only when the situation is critical.
Recommendations
Stiff joints should be treated as soon as possible. In addition to the use of medicines, you need to do exercises, go hiking. It is necessary to adjust body weight if there is excess weight.
A balanced diet and the use of clean water (at least 2 liters per day) are required, since dehydration affects the joints. It should be borne in mind that taking 4 cups of coffee every day 2 times increases the risk of rheumatoid arthritis.
Forecast
With an active lifestyle and weight control, the patient can eliminate the problem of immobilizing the joints. It is important to monitor your condition. You need to consult a doctor:
- in the presence of pain and swelling in the joint;
- loss of joint mobility;
- the appearance of pain and stiffness during movement.
Thus, stiffness of the joints appears with many ailments. With each of them, the doctor prescribes individual therapy. Timely contact with a specialist and effective treatment can restore joint mobility.