If the joints of the arms and legs hurt, what should a person do in such a situation? Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is to go to the clinic and consult the local doctor, and he will find out what it is: prescribe tests or refer you to some specialist. However, many of us know how difficult it can be to find time to go to a medical center, because for this you will have to take time off work, then, most likely, sit in line or prepare a certain amount of money for a visit to a paid medical center.
In general, people have many reasons to self-medicate at home. And it's not that rare that it actually helps. Well, in our article you will find several popular recipes that help with the most diverse types of joint pain, as well as a list of pharmacological medications developed specifically to solve these problems. But first, we advise you to get serious about reading the next chapter of our story.
The importance of making the correct diagnosis
Asking everyone they meet: "If the joints of the arms and legs hurt, what to do? ", people often do not understand that the pain that worries them may be the initial stage of a serious illness, the development of which can be stopped or slowed down at the initial stage, when the destructive processes in the joints have not yet gone too far.
Carrying out the treatment independently with the help of lotions, rubs, poultices, etc. , the patient exposes his or her health to considerable risks. After all, home remedies are not at all safe and may be contraindicated for certain diseases.
For example, there is an opinion that there is nothing better to quickly resolve joint problems than warming up. But that is not true! If the disease is accompanied by swelling, acute inflammatory processes occur in diseased joints and a local increase in temperature is observed, applying heat to the problem area can only worsen the situation. If the joints of the arms and legs hurt, the causes, symptoms and treatment regimens should first be discussed with specialists (rheumatologist, orthopedist or traumatologist).
We will not criticize folk remedies here: they can be an excellent help in combating various diseases, but only after the doctor makes the correct diagnosis and gives recommendations on what can benefit the joints and what can cause harm.
Various causes of joint pain
Why joints hurt and what to do in these cases will be much easier to understand if you know the reasons that cause pain in the limbs and limitation of their motor functions. Here are some of the most common joint diseases:
Rheumatoid arthritis.Chronic disease in which inflammatory processes are observed in connective tissues. Characteristic symptoms accompanying arthritis:
- Pain in one or more joints gradually increases over one to two weeks or may occur suddenly. At rest, the pain intensifies, especially in the morning.
- Rheumatoid arthritis can affect large joints in the arms and legs (wrist, ankle, elbow, knee) and small joints in the feet and hands. Inflammation of one joint is called monoarthritis and inflammation of multiple joints is called polyarthritis.
- One of the symptoms of the disease in question is the limitation of mobility of the affected limbs during the first hours after waking up in the morning.
- The disease is accompanied by a noticeable increase in joints, redness of the skin in the problem area and increased sensitivity.
Rheumatism.With this chronic disease, all organs (heart, kidneys, lymphatic system, etc. ), including joints, are gradually affected. The process can last many years. It is very important to start treatment as early as possible. One of the most characteristic signs of incipient rheumatism is joint pain that occurs periodically, sometimes accompanied by an increase in body temperature and swelling.
Osteoarthritis.Disease associated with dystrophic-degenerative changes that occur in cartilage, with gradual involvement of bone, ligament and synovial tissues in the pathological process. The most common osteoarthritis is in the knee, hip and elbow joints. Main symptoms:
- the main symptom is pain that occurs when moving or putting pressure on the affected joint;
- gradual restriction of mobility. If the disease is not treated in time, the process can progress rapidly, which will eventually lead to disability.
Injuries, bruises, physical overload of joints.
Drop- one of the types of arthritis.
The joints of the arms and legs hurt: what to do?
Let's outline the main steps that need to be followed consistently in case of joint pain:
- Before finding out the causes of the pain, you should try to rest your joints.
- Take some nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medication.
- Contact a medical center to find out the causes of the pain.
- Get detailed recommendations from your doctor about the treatment regimen and medications to be taken, as well as consult about traditional treatment methods, if you are going to use them.
Arthritis treatment
Arthritis is usually severe pain in the joints of the hands. What to do in this situation? The patient must understand that treatment will require a series of complex measures. After all, it is necessary not only to relieve symptomatic pain, but also to slow down the inflammatory process, restore normal blood flow in the affected tissues and cartilage, etc. -inflammatory drugs, antibiotics. Within the framework of this article, we can give an excellent recipe from traditional medicine.
For arthritis, a cabbage compress with honey is very useful. You need to do this before bed. You need to take a fresh cabbage leaf, heat it, grease it with a thin layer of honey and apply the coated side to the wound. The compress is covered with cellophane on top, bandaged and wrapped in a warm woolen scarf. In the morning the patient will certainly feel relief.
The role of adequate nutrition
The joints of the legs and arms often hurt due to metabolic disorders in the body. Gout disease is one of the types of arthritis, a frequent companion of modern people, tormenting mainly the stronger sex. Probably everyone has heard this term: "salt deposition in the joints. "Some people think that it is just common table salt, but this is not the case.
In gout, uric acid salts are deposited in the joints, and this happens due to the constant consumption of meat, fatty fish and alcohol. Smoking also contributes to the development of the pathological process. If the joints in your fingers and toes become very swollen and painful, the discomfort may indicate the presence of gout.
This disease is easier to prevent than to cure. The main recommendation to prevent the disease is adequate nutrition. Nothing complicated: you need to introduce more vegetables, whole grains, fruits, cottage cheese into your diet and give up tobacco and alcoholic beverages.
Osteoarthritis. Treatment
Today, many people complain that the joints in their arms and legs hurt. What to do if the pain is caused by osteoarthritis? Here, too, you probably cannot do without NSAIDs: they will help quickly alleviate the torment. Consultation with a doctor is required. It will be necessary to take an x-ray - this will help the doctor determine the degree of destruction of the joints.
In the treatment of osteoarthritis, along with anti-inflammatory drugs, the intake of chondroprotectors (substances that restore articular cartilage) plays an important role.
A good alternative to natural chondroprotector is regular gelatin, which can be purchased in stores. This product must be diluted in warm water and drunk several times a day. And for faster restoration of cartilage, it is recommended to prepare homemade jelly or jellied meat more often, as it also contains large amounts of natural substances from which cartilaginous tissue is built.
Pharmaceutical products
Several times, when we mentioned in our article the question "what to do if the joints of the arms and legs hurt", we wrote that pain and inflammation are well relieved by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs for short. When treating joints, ointments from this group are very effective.
For severe pain, you can go beyond external ointments and take highly effective NSAIDs in tablet or powder form.
Physiotherapy
If painful joint pain persists, the doctor may consider it necessary for the patient to undergo certain physical procedures:
- UHF;
- phonophoresis or electrophoresis;
- UV irradiation;
- magnetic therapy;
- transcutaneous electrical stimulation;
- baths and paraffin applications, etc.
Treatment of joints with ointments prepared according to traditional recipes
We continue to consider the main topic of the article: "What to do if your joints hurt? " Treatment with independently prepared ointments can be an excellent addition to the procedures prescribed by the doctor. What are these remedies and how to prepare them?
- Ointment for rheumatism.To prepare it, you will need 100 g of mustard powder and 200 g of table salt, which must be mixed, then add enough kerosene to the resulting mustard-salt mixture to obtain a mass similar in thickness to sour cream rustic. The medicine is applied to the wounds at night.
- Arthritis ointment made from honey and egg yolk.Take one egg yolk, one block of beeswax (small) and 1 tbsp. I. honeyFirst, the yolk is heated in a water bath, where the wax is crumbled and honey is poured. Everything is mixed to form a homogeneous ointment. To use, take a piece of gauze folded in several layers, place a warm mass on it, and in this way the medicine is applied to the joint and firmly fixed with a bandage.
- Ointment for treating joints with osteoarthritis.Take equal parts of nettle leaves, juniper berries (green) and sheep oil. The fruits and leaves are crushed well in a mortar and then combined with oil. The prepared ointment must be rubbed into the joints morning and evening.
Activated charcoal treatment
There is a simple but effective way to treat gout joints. To do this you will need activated charcoal. You will need to make a paste with this product. This is done as follows: tablets from several packages of charcoal are ground into powder, to which a little water and 1 tbsp are added. spoon of crushed linseed. After thorough mixing, the paste is spread on the sore joint overnight, after which it is bandaged and wrapped warmly until morning.
Clay therapy
Here is another excellent folk healing method if the joints of the legs and arms hurt. We have already discussed the causes and treatment of many diseases and found that different diseases should be treated differently. But there is an almost universal recipe - compresses, baths, clay bandages, which can be used for arthrosis, arthritis and rheumatic pain. Clay perfectly soothes pain, relieves inflammation and swelling, sucks out toxins from the body, etc.
Physical education and sports: benefits or harms for joints
Those who really enjoy sporting activities often experience joint pain. What should you do if your knees and ankles hurt after long, tiring runs that seem to be done in the name of health? First, reconsider your lifestyle. Any excesses are harmful – this statement can also be applied to sport.
To get rid of the feeling of constant discomfort in the joints of the legs, sometimes it is enough for a person to simply reduce physical activity. Running or walking (for seniors), morning exercises, yoga and swimming are good for improving health. All of the above are unlikely to cause joint pain. On the contrary, such physical education will fill them with strength and endurance.
Final word
We hope that the information presented in the article will help those who have pain in the joints of their arms and legs. Diseases and methods of treatment, folk recipes and a list of medicines - all these materials were carefully studied by us in advance and only then exposed to the public. Use this information for your health, and may your joints always be normal!