Joint pain: It is the most common symptom of joint disease. Depending on the cause and course of the disease, arthralgia can be divided into acute and chronic. Acute arthralgia is characterized by inflammatory reactions in the joints and surrounding tissues, while chronic arthralgia is characterized by hypertrophy of the joint capsule and osteophytes.
The following is a brief description of the common diseases that cause arthralgia and their clinical features.
Degenerative arthritis.
Also known as osteoarthritis, mostly seen in obese elderly people, more common in women, with a family history, often with multiple joint involvement; early manifestations are pain in the diseased joints after walking, standing for a long time and weather changes, and relieved after rest. If the affected joints are metacarpophalangeal and interphalangeal joints, in addition to joint pain, the patient often feels stiffness and swelling of the fingers and has difficulty moving around. If the knee joint is involved: it is often accompanied by joint effusion, elevated skin temperature and pain at the edge of the joint; in the advanced stage, the pain in the diseased joint worsens and continues to radiate to other places, there is a feeling of friction in the joint and a ringing sound when moving, and the patient often limps.
Gout.
It often occurs sharply after drinking alcohol, exertion or high purine diet with severe joint pain, local skin redness, swelling and heat, and patients often wake up at night with pain; all large and small joints of the body can be involved, with the first metatarsophalangeal joint being the most common; joint deformity and skin breakdown can occur in the late stage.
Traumatic arthralgia.
Pain, swelling and dysfunction of damaged joints often appear immediately after trauma, such as ankle sprains. Chronic traumatic arthritis with a clear history of trauma, such as meniscal injury; recurrent arthralgia, often triggered by stimuli such as excessive activity and weight bearing and cold weather, and relieved by medication and physical therapy.
Rheumatoid arthritis.
Mostly starts from one joint, with the first pain in the interphalangeal joint of the middle finger. It can involve all the joints of the body, often symmetrically distributed, with limited movement and stiffness of the diseased joint, which is heavier in the morning, also known as morning stiffness; it can be accompanied by generalized fever.
Rheumatoid arthritis.
The onset is rapid, often following streptococcal infection, with knee, ankle, shoulder and hip joints being the most common. The diseased joints appear red, swollen, hot and painful, wandering, and the swelling is short and disappears quickly, leaving no joint stiffness or deformity changes.
Metabolic bone diseases.
Osteochondrogenic osteoarthropathy caused by osteoporosis, diabetes mellitus, hyperparathyroidism and other causes of vitamin D deficiency.
Tuberculous arthritis.
Most commonly seen in children and adolescents, with the spine being the most common, followed by the hip and knee joints. Fatigue and hypothermia, night sweats and decreased appetite are often present during the active phase; pain in the diseased joint increases with activity, and sinus tracts may form next to the joint, with discharge often visible.
Septic arthritis.
Rapid onset, obvious symptoms of systemic toxicity, early chills, chills and high fever, temperature up to 39℃ or more; redness, swelling and pain in the diseased joints, patients often feel persistent pain in the diseased joints, serious dysfunction, and severe pain caused by movement in all directions.
Bone and joint tumors.
Various benign and malignant tumors of bone can cause joint pain and joint movement disorders.
Other diseases.
Such as achalasia and lumbar disc herniation, which cause secondary pain in the joints of the lower extremities due to alteration of the line of weight bearing of the lower extremities.
Growing pains.
These patients are mainly children in the growth phase, and are more common in boys. The painful areas are commonly found in the knee and hip joints. This condition is a normal physiological phenomenon that occurs during the growth and development of children.