Joint Pain

What is joint pain?

Joint pain affects one or more of the 360 joints in your body. Some joints are large, like hips and shoulders, while those in your fingers and toes are very small. You also have joints in places you might not realize, like the facet joints in your spine.

Joints form where the ends of two or more bones meet. Tough connective tissues (ligaments) connect the bones, while tendons attach your muscles to the bones. There are pieces of cushioning cartilage in some joints, like the meniscus in your knee, and sacs of fluid (bursae) that also provide cushioning.

Ball-and-socket joints (hips and shoulders) contain a ring of cartilage called the labrum that secures the ball-shaped bone in its socket. The slippery articular cartilage covering the end of the bones enables your joints to move smoothly. Joints also have nerves that control your muscles and provide sensory information to your brain.

Joint pain happens when you suffer damage to one or several structures in the joint.

What causes joint pain?

Common joint pain causes include:

• Sprained ligaments
• Strained tendons
• Full and partial dislocations
• Bursitis (inflammation in the bursae)
• Tendinitis (tendon inflammation)
• Labral and meniscal tears
• Articular cartilage damage
• Pinched nerves
• Arthritis

Sports injuries, falls, auto accidents, and repetitive strain (repeating the same action frequently over a long period) can all result in joint pain. Arthritis is the leading cause of chronic (long-lasting) joint pain.

How is joint pain treated?

The Zephyr Medical team excels at treating joint pain. They begin with medication to reduce pain and inflammation, alongside physical therapy. Heat and ice help reduce swelling and pain in acute (sudden) and overuse injuries.

You might need a splint or brace to prevent joint movement and stress while the damage heals. Lifestyle changes are also highly effective against joint pain. For example, eating a healthier diet and regularly exercising helps you lose weight, relieving stress on your joints.

Trigger point injections are often helpful for joint pain. Your Zephyr Medical doctor injects an anesthetic, a steroid like cortisone, or both into tightly knotted spots (trigger points) in the muscle tissues.

Treatments for joint pain that doesn’t improve include:

• Steroid injections
• Hyaluronic acid (lubricant) injections
• Nerve block injections
• Radiofrequency ablation

The best treatment for joint pain depends on what’s causing your condition and how severely it’s affecting you.

Call Zephyr Medical today or book an appointment online to get effective relief from joint pain delivered by expert practitioners.