Overview: What is joint pain?
Joint pain is one of the most common reasons for visiting a doctor. Whether it’s pain in the finger joints, shoulder joints, knee joints, or joint and muscle pain throughout the body: there is hardly a movable joint between the bones that cannot be affected by arthralgia. Either as a single joint or involving multiple painful joints. The severity ranges from mild symptoms to severe limitations.
If joint pain lasts less than six weeks, it is considered acute arthralgia; if the joints continue to hurt for longer, the condition is chronic.
Joint pain primarily affects women and men in the second half of their lives, but by no means only them. The total number of people affected is not known exactly. Yet in Switzerland alone, more than one million people suffer from arthritis or osteoarthritis, both of which are accompanied by joint pain. However, women face an additional risk of arthralgia that men do not: menopause.
Joint pain: menopause as a risk
“I’ve actually been feeling fine so far—but now I suddenly have joint pain all over my body.” When the menopause causes joint pain, it is usually a great burden for the women affected. Whether it’s pain in the knees, shoulders, or finger joints, menopause can contribute to these uncomfortable conditions because it leads to a decrease in the production of the sex hormone estrogen. A sufficient amount of estrogen is important for keeping the joints well-hydrated and “lubricated.” If this does not happen, the joints may lose mobility, become painful, and gradually stiffen.
Joint pain during menopause most commonly affects the following joints: the joints of the fingers and hands, the shoulder joints, and the knee joints. The symptoms are usually most noticeable in the morning; they often improve as the day goes on. Because exercise helps. But even women who are physically active experience joint pain during menopause.
The lack of estrogen also has a negative effect on the muscles—they lose strength and elasticity. And menopause doesn’t just cause muscle and joint pain: fatigue and exhaustion can also set in, as can osteoporosis (bone loss), which many women fear. Age-related joint wear and tear usually plays only a minor role in joint pain—the main cause is a lack of hormones.
Menopause Consultation Hours
Symptoms: How does joint pain manifest itself?
Whether only individual joints are affected or joint pain occurs throughout the body, doctors distinguish between three different forms of the condition:
- “It’s worst in the morning after getting out of bed,” many patients with chronic pain complain. Doctors refer to this type of arthralgia as “start-up pain.”
- Joint pain can also occur at night. In this case, doctors refer to it as pain at rest.
- If joint pain occurs only when the affected joint is moved—regardless of the time of day—it is considered stress-related pain.
Joints can hurt in different ways; the pain may be sharp or burning, for example. There is also joint pain, which can feel throbbing or dull. The more accurately you, as a patient, can describe your joint pain, the more you will help your doctor determine the cause of your symptoms and make an accurate diagnosis.
Diagnosis: How do you recognize arthralgia?
It is important to make an accurate diagnosis of joint pain; otherwise, an inflammatory or rheumatic cause of the joint symptoms may be overlooked. This could result in a lack of timely and targeted treatment, leading to permanent damage to the joints.
If you are experiencing joint pain and are seeking medical advice, your doctor will first perform a physical examination. Careful examination and palpation of the affected areas are just as important as determining whether the painful joint is tender to pressure or has limited range of motion. In addition, the medical examination will determine in what situations the joint pain occurs and how long it lasts. For example, if a person experiences so-called morning stiffness that lasts longer than half an hour after getting out of bed, a rheumatic disease may be suspected.
Depending on the findings of the physical examination, the doctor may recommend additional diagnostic tests (blood tests, imaging studies) for further evaluation.
An accurate diagnosis of arthralgia is important because there are joint disorders that, although they all manifest as pain, require different treatments. This applies, for example, to the following common types of joint pain:
Joint Pain in Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis refers to joint wear and tear. In osteoarthritis, it is not only the articular cartilage—which acts as a cushion between the bones—that is in poor condition, but the entire joint. These also include the joint capsule, a layer of mucous membrane (synovial membrane), and synovial fluid. In the worst-case scenario, the wear and tear progresses to the point where the cartilage is completely worn away. When bone rubs against bone, the joint pain is felt as particularly agonizing.
Joint wear and tear often manifests as a burning, throbbing, or stabbing pain, which can also occur in episodes. Swelling often occurs. Later on, stiffness or deformity of the affected joint may also occur.
Osteoarthritis very often affects the knee joints. The joints of the hips and fingers—especially the base of the thumb—are also frequently affected. During physical activity, a starting pain often occurs at first, which can develop into exertional pain as movement continues.
Joint Pain in Arthritis
Arthritis means inflammation of the joints. It affects the joint cartilage and usually manifests externally as redness and swelling of the affected joint. At first, arthritis manifests as a sharp pain that occurs during physical activity; later on, joint pain may also occur at rest.
Possible causes of joint inflammation include injuries, infections, metabolic disorders, and rheumatism, among others.
Joint Pain in Rheumatism
The term “rheumatism”—which is often used but imprecise—encompasses a variety of painful conditions. The following symptoms, among others, are typical of this form of inflammatory joint disease:
- Joint pain is most severe in the morning
- The proximal interphalangeal joints of the fingers are affected
- Morning stiffness lasts longer than an hour
- Joint pain improves with movement
- Those affected find it difficult to clench their fists
- The affected joints are swollen and tender to the touch
Joint Pain After COVID-19
Muscle and joint pain are also among the possible symptoms of a coronavirus infection. Joint pain often occurs in the shoulder, and knee joint pain can also occur. Symptoms can persist long after a person has recovered from a COVID-19 infection. If they last for four to twelve weeks or recur during that time, the joint pain and other symptoms are referred to as “Long COVID syndrome.” After a period of twelve weeks or more, the term“post-COVID”is used.
Causes: How does joint pain develop?
When you’re seventy, you’re no longer seventeen: A certain amount of wear and tear on our joints is a perfectly normal part of aging. That is why, in many cases, doctors refer to joint pain as a “degenerative” condition—that is, symptoms caused by aging and wear and tear, as is the case with osteoarthritis.
However, the cause of joint pain can also depend on other factors. In addition to the common conditions of osteoarthritis (joint degeneration) and arthritis (joint inflammation), the following conditions, among others, may be potential causes of arthralgia:
- Metabolic disorders (e.g., B. Gout)
- Injuries (e.g., bruises)
- Viral infections (e.g., B. Flu, measles, rubella, chickenpox)
- Tumor or leukemia
- Lyme disease after tick bite
- Side effects of medications
Regardless of the cause of joint pain, if you are experiencing it, don’t hesitate to see your doctor. This is because joint pain sometimes needs to be treated quickly to prevent long-term damage to the affected joints.
How is joint pain treated?
Anyone who suffers from arthralgia has one main wish: for the joint pain to disappear soon. And forever. The second wish is often that limited mobility should be restored. Not everyone affected by joint pain seeks medical advice immediately. This is often not necessary, as in many cases joint or limb pain can go away on its own. However, if the symptoms last longer than two weeks or keep recurring, you should definitely consult a doctor.
Anti-inflammatory painkillers often help with acute joint pain, as do rubs or compresses to stimulate circulation. Physical treatments, for example with heat, are also considered successful methods. Physiotherapy with stretching and weight-bearing exercises can also reduce joint pain and improve mobility. Women who experience joint pain during the menopause can benefit from hormone replacement therapy (internationally abbreviated to HRT).
Joint pain: what else helps?
Anyone suffering from arthralgia can do a lot for themselves. Regular sporting activity – for example in the form of swimming or cycling, which is easy on the joints – supports mobility and strengthens the muscles. Strong muscles in turn support the joints.
Risk factors that should be avoided as far as possible are alcohol (can trigger gout) and nicotine (can promote osteoarthritis). Excess weight should definitely be reduced in the case of arthralgia because it puts strain on the joints. A healthy diet helps with this. It also has another advantage: foods that are low in fat and rich in vitamins help to maintain healthy joint cartilage.
