When the joints of the legs hurt and swell, it is important to clearly interpret the symptoms of the pathology and correctly diagnose it. The causes of pain can be very diverse. They arise as a result of damage to the ligaments,
tendons, joints, bones, muscles, as well as nerve endings and blood vessels. In each case, there is a different nature of pain and symptomatic manifestations. The pain can be expressed in aching or acute form or accompanied by a burning sensation. It can occur sharply and have the nature of seizures, or it can continue constantly. Therefore, in order to understand why the leg joint hurts, you should study general information about the causes of pain.
The most common diseases of the joints of the legs
Such diseases include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and gout. Osteoarthrosis usually manifests itself in the knee and hip joints. The course of the disease usually passes without a pronounced tumor process. This disease is most susceptible to the elderly. When moving, they periodically creak and snapping in the joints. The leg joint hurts more often during physical exertion, after a long walk or prolonged standing in an upright position. Osteoarthritis is treated with massage, swimming, mud therapy or physiotherapy.
Rheumatoid arthritis, in contrast, is an incurable disease. However, with timely medical intervention, deformation of the joints and bringing them to complete immobility can be avoided. With arthritis, the leg in the ankle joint most often hurts , but other joints may be affected. Unlike osteoarthritis, the sensation of pain with arthritis becomes dull after exercise.
When the leg joint hurts with gout, it can be concluded that a large number of purines are present in the patient's body. Treatment in this case should be carried out using a special diet. In the patient's diet, the content of meat products, fish and alcohol is limited. He is prescribed drugs that normalize the metabolism.
Other causes of leg pain
There are factors that can cause a sensation of pain in the area of the leg joint. These include:
- dehydration;
- insufficient levels of calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium in the blood;
- ligament rupture;
- bone fractures or cracks;
- bone tumors or bone infections;
- various circulatory disorders;
- tendon inflammation ;
- reflected pain with displacement of the spinal discs.
Diagnostic Methods
When the leg joint hurts, the patient is examined and interviewed to identify symptoms. Then, at the discretion of the doctor, the necessary examination method is prescribed. Among them are:
- a blood test to determine the level of white blood cells, red blood cells, uric acid;
- ultrasound to detect venous thrombosis;
- radiography to study the integrity of the bone and joint;
- arterial-brachial index for assessing blood circulation in the legs;
- computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging for a more detailed examination of the joint, blood vessels, bones and soft tissues.