Our joints take a lot of punishment over the years, some constantly carry our weight, others can become inflamed when our immune systems turn against our tissues. Even though we might feel we don’t have the symptoms of typical arthritis, it’s still worth getting checked over by our GPs if we get constant joint pain because we may have one of the rarer forms of the condition.
When is it not wear and tear?
Osteoarthritis is linked to age and most people who get it tend to be female, but this isn’t always true. For example, if we’ve suffered trauma to our joints, then this may lead to the condition as well. In this form of the syndrome the cartilage gets so worn we can’t move the joint freely, with our hips, spine and knees commonly affected, but what are the other kinds of arthritis that can also make mobilising difficult? Fibromyalgia has also been connected with joint damage and results in constant pain in the muscles and joints, although not a fatal condition it can affect our daily lives considerably. Some other types of arthritis lead to inflammation of the tissues in joints, with affected areas feeling hot. This occurs when we have Rheumatoid arthritis, which is a condition that turns our immune system against our body.
We can also suffer from weight loss, fatigue and decreased appetite when we have this condition. Gout is another type of inflammatory joint problem and is caused by crystals forming in the joints due to excessive uric acid. We can get this via certain medications or a diet high in certain chemicals. A condition that can affect our skin may also lead to inflammation in our joints. Psoriatic arthritis is connected to psoriasis where our skin produces excess cells.
When to go to a doctor
Some pains clear up on their own, especially if they’re caused by minor injuries that didn’t require treatment, but joint pain lasting more than one week ought to be checked out by a GP, say experts. If the pain is severe, accompanied by fever and swelling, or is resilient to analgesia then we may also benefit from visiting our doctor.
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