Discovering the 4 Major Joint Pain Causes and Finding Relief

As we go throughout our daily activities, we often forget how much strain we put on our bodies. Normally, we associate joint pain causes with the aging process, but sometimes it can be a signal of a more serious underlying condition. Although this pain is frustrating and uncomfortable, it can lead us to determine what may be wrong internally. Often, we turn to medicines to quickly alleviate this pain, but they only mask the problem enough to make it bearable, leaving the real issue unresolved. Here are a few things your joint pain might be trying to tell you: 

1. Lyme Disease
Certain types of ticks can carry bacteria that causes Lyme Disease, which often produces a bulls-eye rash and flu-like symptom such as exhaustion and weakness of the limbs. Without prompt treatment, the infection spreads throughout the body causing joint pain and affecting the patient's bodily organs. A quick lab test can confirm the diagnosis, and if you test positive, you'll be on your way to recovery with some oral antibiotics.

2. Bad Reaction to Current Medicine
Are you taking any new medications? If so, this could be the reason for your discomfort. Penicillin is often the main culprit in causing inflammatory antibody responses, but other medicines can certainly cause a bad reaction as well. It's usually easy to tell if this is the case. You may begin to develop symptoms such as a skin rash, red eyes, and experience joint pain along with an irritated stomach. You can compare when you started taking your medication to when your symptoms started to identify a relationship. 

3. Gout
Your pain could be caused by a build-up of uric acid, which crystallizes and accumulates within the joints, causing severe inflammation. Modifying daily habits such as watching your diet, increasing exercise, and limiting your intake of alcohol can provide some relief.

4. Fibromyalgia
Widespread muscle and joint pain are universal symptoms of fibromyalgia, a condition that tends to affect women more so than men. Patients with this disease have more pain-signal carrying cells than the average person, which means they experience heightened levels of pain even in situations where they shouldn't feel much at all.

Knowing your joint pain cause is the first step towards finding a treatment option that's right for you. MCO is here to help, offering comprehensive musculoskeletal services that we hope will help get you back to normal as quickly as possible! We understand that even mild irritation can impact your quality of life, and we want to provide the relief you've been searching for. If you're going to get to the root of your joint pain, call us today at 309-663-6461 or schedule an appointment with one of our skilled physicians online.