Joint pain can be irritating and disabling, preventing you from enjoying your physical activities. Severe joint pain can also prevent you from moving, making it difficult to go to work or school. Fortunately, your Lawrenceburg joint pain specialist at Elite Physical Medicine offers various treatment options to liberate you from pain.
What is joint pain?
Joint pain refers to pain, inflammation, or discomfort arising from any of your joints. Joint pain can range from mild to debilitating pain, which can limit your ability to move. Injuries or damage to your joints can also cause excruciating pain, which may prevent you from carrying out your physical activities. You may experience pain in one or more joints depending on the underlying cause.
What are the causes of joint pain?
Your body contains over 200 bones, and most of these bones depend on each other to facilitate moving, turning, and bending without difficulty. The location where one bone joins with another is known as a joint. The joint contains connective tissue that prevents friction between two bones during movement by cushioning them. The connective tissue stretches during bending or other activities. When this tissue disintegrates, stiffens, or becomes inflamed, you may experience pain in that particular joint. Arthritis is one of the most causes of joint inflammation, which causes excruciating pain. Other disorders that may trigger joint pain include:
- Fibromyalgia
- Tendonitis
- Bursitis
- Bone or joint infections
- Osteoporosis
- Bone cancer
- Gout
- Leukemia
- Lupus
- Rheumatic fever
- Sprains
The pain may be mild, moderate, or excruciating, depending on the severity of your condition. You may also experience chronic pain or pain that comes and goes. The specialists at Elite Physical Medicine recommend that you inform your provider if you experience recurrent pain or pain that persists even after taking pain killers.
How can your provider diagnose joint pain?
During your appointment at Elite Physical Medicine, the experienced team performs a thorough physical exam to determine the underlying cause of your symptoms. The team may also discuss your symptoms and review your medical and family history to get more information about your health. During your physical exam, your doctor may evaluate your muscle strength, reflexes, and posture. The team may also recommend diagnostic imaging such as X-rays for accurate diagnosis.
What are the available treatments for joint pain?
After detecting the underlying cause of your pain from your test results, the team may design a customized treatment plan to provide long-term relief from joint pain. Your treatment plan depends on the severity and the type of underlying cause of your symptoms. Your treatment plan may include:
- Nerve blocks
- Massage therapy
- Chiropractic adjustments
- Innovative treatment
- Therapeutic exercise
- Joint injections
The team may categorize your treatment into three phases. They may recommend fast pain relief during the first phase before putting you on a medical exercise plan and other necessary treatments. The last stage involves maintenance which ensures your general wellbeing.
To obtain a solution for your joint pain, call the Elite Physical Medicine office or schedule an appointment online.
Johnson