Muscle and Joint Pain
Joint Pain
Joints are connections where two bones meet to provide support and mobility. Any damage to the joint and its surrounding tissues, due to disease or injury can interfere with movement and cause pain.
Joint pain can be mild or debilitating, and can be long term (chronic) or short term (acute) pain. Swelling in the joint may cause severe. The most common joint pain is knee, shoulder and hip pain.
Joint pain may be due to conditions such as osteoarthritis, inflammatory arthropathies such as rheumatoid arthritis, bursitis, strains and sprains, gout and other injuries. Pain is also a feature of infection or tumours in the joint.
Your doctor may suggest PRICE protocol (Protect, Rest, Ice application, Compression and Elevation), pain medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s), corticosteroid or other pain relieving injections and physical therapy to relieve joint pain.
Muscle Pain
Muscle pain and spasm occur from spontaneous muscle contractions. They often occur from overused or damaged muscles (torn or strained). Spasm pain is often localized, intense and comes on suddenly, lasting a few minutes before it fades away. Some of the common causes of muscle pain and spasm include:
- Prolonged exercise or regular overuse of the muscles
- Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS)
- Exercise Associated Muscle cramps
- Metabolic disorders that interfere with the supply of energy to the muscles
- Narrowing of the arteries
- Illnesses like diabetes
Muscle pain and spasm can be diagnosed by performing a thorough medical history along with a neurological and physical examination. Occasionally your Sports Physician may refer you for further investigations, including blood tests, imaging or neurophysiological testing. Treatment involves pain relieving medications, strengthening and conditioning exercises, and treating the underlying neurologic or metabolic diseases.
