subject: Joint Pain - Do you experience it? [print this page] Joint Pain - Do you experience it? Joint Pain - Do you experience it?
Joint pain affects all age groups.
Joint pain, or Arthralgia, can affect all of your body's joints from head to toe.
Children, adults and the elderly are all at risk of joint pain - from injury, illness or just wear and tear.
Joints are responsible for facilitating movement in various parts of the body - and are susceptible to injury or excess physical pressure.
Sportsmen and women routinely subject their joints to increased risk of injury as a consequence of their physical pursuits, but older people can often suffer joint pain because of age related complications such as decreased bone density.
The obese and those who are overweight may also experience joint pain in their back, hips, knees and ankles because of the excess weight they are carrying.
The majority of people have experienced some type of joint pain at some time in their lives, and an injured or swollen joint can cause much discomfort - with some people far more severely affected than others.
As we rely on our joints for everyday functionality, any related pain can make life very difficult and extremely frustrating to cope with, especially when it hampers your ability to perform normal daily activities. Simple tasks like getting out of bed, brushing your hair, carrying the shopping or even just moving about the house can be arduous and may aggravate the pain even more.
Dependent upon the cause of your joint pain, you may suffer with it for a relatively short period of time (acute pain) - or it may trouble you for the rest of your life (chronic pain).
Diagnosing Joint Pain
It is important to determine the cause of your pain and you should seek the professional medical care, advice, or diagnosis of your doctor - as this will help them determine the best course of treatment for you.
Various tests may be performed to locate the root of the problem and may include some or all of the following - a physical examination, clinical history check, X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, bone scans, and blood or urine tests.
These tests will enable your doctor to determine the causes of your joint pain.
Remember - joint pain is a symptom of damage and not a cause or diagnosis.
Typical symptoms of joint pain include but are not limited to:
