IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW! The only remedy for JOINT PAIN, arthritis, arthrosis, osteochondrosis and other diseases of the musculoskeletal system, recommended by doctors! Read more.
Why does the ankle joint become swollen and painful? Only a specialist knows how to treat a damaged area of the body. According to doctors, there are various reasons that can provoke inflammation and swelling of the ankle. First of all, these can be traumatic effects that can be received while walking and at home. In addition to injuries, the ankle can hurt and swell due to the development of various ailments. Such diseases include:
As already mentioned, the main causes of ankle injury are traumatic impacts. Bruises, fractures and sprains are caused by a fall or a strong blow. Such injuries can be recorded on one or two lower extremities at once. According to doctors, after a sprain, a person’s leg immediately swells. Painful sensations can occur after careless turning or movement of the foot, which causes severe suffering to the patient.
Subluxation and dislocation are often accompanied by a fracture, which requires urgent rehabilitation. With this turn of events, deformation of the heel zone occurs. Therefore, if the ankle joint is swollen and painful, only an experienced doctor should determine how to treat the injured area. You should not self-medicate and put off going to the doctor, as this can lead to irreversible consequences.
Swelling of the joints in the legs can occur due to trauma received during an impact or regular exposure of the joint tissues to hard objects (for example, high, tight boots). And in this case, eliminating the swelling is very simple: you just need to apply a cold compress (a towel soaked in water, a bag of ice, etc.) to the inflamed area.
But if the swelling appears as a result of an impact, then you must first take an x-ray to make sure there is no fracture. If present, it is necessary to apply a cast and reduce physical activity.
If there is no fracture, then to eliminate swelling in the leg, you can use creams and ointments with a cooling effect, as well as topical preparations with an anti-inflammatory effect. But their use should be agreed with the attending physician, since joint diseases may develop against the background of joint injury. And in this case, the incorrect use of such medications can only worsen the situation.
It is not difficult to completely restore JOINTS! The most important thing is to rub this into the sore spot 2-3 times a day.
If your leg joints are constantly swollen, this may indicate the development of joint diseases. As a rule, when they occur, not only swelling of the soft tissues is observed, but also pain during physical activity. Characteristic clicking sounds in the joints and an increase in local temperature may also appear.
Self-medication here can be dangerous and lead to progression of the disease. You need to seek help from a doctor and undergo an examination that will reveal the nature of the disease. If the pathology is infectious in nature, it is necessary to take antibacterial drugs that will act on the source of inflammation from the inside.
Among external preparations, analgesic and anti-edematous agents are used. These include:
Treatment of swelling in the legs can also be carried out using alternative medicine, but only after the approval of a doctor. This rule should not be neglected, since in some diseases, for example, cold or hot compresses can have a positive effect, or can lead to an exacerbation of the process.
If your feet are swollen, you can use various baths to eliminate the swelling. The most effective of them are:
You can also prepare a medicine for edema at home from various herbs that will help relieve it. For example, you can use pine buds. They are mixed in equal proportions with sugar and placed in a dark place for a week. The released juice must be filtered and taken one teaspoon at a time. every day.
You can prepare a medicine for joint swelling from the following herbs:
These ingredients must first be crushed and combined in equal proportions. After which one tbsp. l. The prepared collection should be poured with a glass of boiling water and left for two hours. This remedy should be taken instead of tea three to four times a day.
Bay leaves also help relieve swelling in the joints of the legs. There are 30 of them, you need to pour 0.5 liters of boiling water and cook over low heat. Cook for five to seven minutes, and then pour the resulting mixture into a thermos and let it brew for three to four hours. This infusion is consumed strained throughout the day in small sips.
To eliminate joint swelling in the legs, you can use rice. It contains substances that perfectly remove salts from the body. Porridge is prepared from rice grains, but in an unusual way.
The rice is washed well, and then in the amount of three tbsp. l. pour a glass of cold water. The resulting composition is put in a dark place for a day, and then the water is drained and fresh water is added. This must be done for six days. After which the rice can be eaten, but salt or other spices cannot be added to it.
Treatment of swollen joints can also be done with horseradish. To do this, pour four liters of water in an amount of one kg and boil over low heat for 10 minutes. Then the product must be infused in a warm place until it becomes warm. Then you need to add a kilogram of honey to the prepared broth. You need to take this composition orally, 200 g per day, dividing the daily dosage into two or three doses.
Remember that joint swelling can be caused by various factors. And before starting treatment, you should identify the exact cause of its occurrence and discuss your every action with your doctor.
Provoking factors include being overweight, wearing high-heeled shoes, engaging in heavy physical labor, and work that requires you to spend the entire day on your feet or sitting in a chair.
Any unpleasant symptoms that appear in the lower extremities require immediate medical attention. Effective treatment can be prescribed only after a thorough diagnosis and identification of the causes of the pathology. The initial appointment is carried out by a therapist or traumatologist.
If your leg is swollen around the ankle joint due to some disease, you will need the help of more specialized specialists.
The therapeutic course is selected depending on the cause of the pathology and the general health of the patient. The primary task is to limit the load on the sore joint and avoid prolonged walking. If your leg swells due to extra pounds, a special diet is recommended. Medications prescribed by a doctor help relieve the inflammatory process and eliminate pain. When the joint is swollen and begins to hurt, the treatment regimen includes physiotherapeutic procedures and the use of traditional medicine. Doctors attach great importance to physical therapy, which helps restore lost joint functions.
Even if a person simply twists his ankle, it is better to consult a doctor to make sure there is no serious damage to the ankle.
To protect the liver from the negative effects of drugs, they must be taken after meals. What to do when drug treatment is ineffective and the inflammatory process persists? Often it is necessary to resort to surgical intervention. This is an extreme measure in which the joint is replaced with an artificial prosthesis.
Video - Massage for ankle swelling
In addition to drug treatment, the traumatologist recommends a course of physical therapy. Procedures are prescribed by a doctor taking into account existing pathologies and the severity of symptoms.
All physiotherapeutic procedures are aimed at eliminating pain and reducing inflammation. Prescribed after completing a course of drug therapy. It is worth considering that any heating in the presence of acute inflammatory processes or purulent accumulations is contraindicated.
Over the centuries, folk medicine has accumulated many methods, if the ankle joint is swollen and painful, how to treat it in this case . They are effective when the damage is minor, for example, if a person slightly twists his leg. To prepare products according to ancient recipes, only safe and non-toxic ingredients are used.
There are a huge number of recipes that have proven their effectiveness over many centuries when the ankle is swollen. However, folk remedies cannot be considered a panacea. They improve the patient’s well-being, speed up the process of joint restoration, and are an excellent addition to drug therapy. A person who simply sprained his ankle can use any home remedy that helps reduce pain and swelling.
Proper, balanced nutrition is the basis for a speedy recovery. It is necessary to add foods to the diet that help remove excess fluid. These are various berries, juices, low-fat fish, herbs, poultry, rabbit, onions, garlic, fermented milk products, water porridge, vegetable soups. Sea kale is indispensable for a salt-free diet.
Prohibited products include: confectionery, smoked products, canned food, baked goods, strong tea, coffee, citrus fruits. You will have to give up fatty and spicy foods.
If you are obese, you will need to consult a nutritionist who will select a special diet that will help you get rid of extra pounds.
Preventing the appearance of edema is much easier than wasting time and money on treatment. Doctors recommend wearing comfortable shoes, avoiding heavy physical exertion on the leg joints, eating right, treating diseases of internal organs in a timely manner, and avoiding ankle injuries.
Lard is the best folk remedy for combating such pain. The recipe is simple. Cut a piece of salted lard and apply it to the problem area of the leg. The compress should be kept on the leg longer. If the pain does not go away after the procedure, continue treatment.
Honey mixed with salt is an effective way. If the joint is severely swollen, it is worth trying the method. Mix honey and salt in equal proportions. Apply the resulting mixture to the surface of the sore leg. It is permissible to tie the leg with a cloth or bandage and put on warm socks on top to further insulate the injured limb. Such compresses should be done every evening and left on the leg overnight until you feel better. After several treatments, the swelling will gradually go away.
The ingredients will help cope with pain in the joints of the feet. The mixture includes:
Mix the listed ingredients and begin treatment. Take 1 teaspoon three times a day (be sure to take before meals).
Recipe: 1 tbsp. l. honey, 3 tablespoons of camphor oil, 1 tbsp. mustard. Mix the ingredients thoroughly and spread the resulting mixture onto the cabbage leaf. Place the foot on the swollen joint, tie it, and put on warm socks. It is possible to use a mixture of honey and mustard; in the absence of camphor oil, it is permissible to replace it with sunflower oil.
In the summer, you can brew currant leaves and drink aromatic tea that is good for your joints. Instead of sugar, honey is added to tea.
Cucumbers will help in a painful situation. Cucumber porridge compresses help with salt deposits in the joints of the legs. Apply the resulting mixture to your leg and tie it. If after some time the compress becomes salty, it means that the treatment is successful. Repeat the procedure several times.
Pain and swelling in the joints of the feet will gradually decrease and stop completely if you regularly rub the problem areas of the feet with vodka chestnut tincture.
It’s simple to prepare: take 300 g of pre-peeled and chopped chestnuts, pour into a 0.5-liter container, and fill completely with vodka. Close the top tightly with the lid. Shake the resulting solution daily for two weeks. After the specified time, use the tincture to treat sore legs. Rub the affected area daily and you will soon feel relief.
Pick three lilac tassels and pour boiling water over them. Cool the liquid, then put it in the refrigerator. After three days, start taking the resulting solution half an hour before meals, one tablespoon. The course of treatment is 45 days. The pain in the joints will gradually subside, the swelling will decrease, and then completely disappear.
This miraculous plant can heal foot joints in different ways: leaves or roots. Pour boiling water over the green leaves and apply the underside to the swollen surface. Grind the horseradish root thoroughly, mix with kerosene (1 tsp) and vegetable oil (1 tbsp). Apply the resulting compress to the sore leg. The tumor will gradually stop bothering you.
Onions are a frequently used product in people's fight against diseases. When your leg joint is swollen and causing severe pain, try a bow.
Onion treatment is often used in various recipes, the method is recognized as effective. The recipe will help cope with pain and swollen joints of the feet. Take a medium-sized onion, chop it with a knife, or grate it. Fry the resulting pulp in a frying pan over low heat until the onion becomes slightly transparent. Then add one teaspoon of beeswax, fry the resulting mixture again until the onion darkens. Strain the fried mixture, pour into a separate container, it is better to choose glassware. Rub the prepared ointment periodically into the swollen leg.
If your foot joint is swollen, a prescription will help. Take 30 laurel leaves, pour two glasses of hot water. Boil the resulting solution. Then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Pour the broth into a thermos and let it brew for several hours. Homemade tincture should be drunk within 24 hours.
Try to drink exclusively in small sips. Treatment with decoction: take the tincture for three days, take a break for a week. The patient may experience frequent urination during treatment. This is not scary, salts are removed from the body in a similar way, helping to improve well-being and reduce pain in the joints of the legs.
If the cause of a tumor in the joints of the foot is a previous injury, most likely the foot should be treated in other ways. It is better to put a plaster, splint, or just a tight bandage on the injured leg, depending on the degree of injury. The main thing is that the patient’s leg is temporarily immobilized. Then the patient is prescribed a course of physical exercises to develop the joint of the diseased foot. You need to start moving slowly and gradually. All kinds of creams and ointments can be used to reduce swelling or swelling of the legs, but it is better to start treatment after consulting a doctor.
The following simple recipes can be used as a treatment for pain in the legs and swelling in the joints of the feet. Various of the listed compresses and settings can be easily made at home yourself. Any of the ingredients is easy to find at home. The advice will only help relieve pain symptoms at the initial stage of the disease. If the pain does not stop for a long period of time, be sure to go to the hospital. The medical institution will make the correct diagnosis and prescribe the correct course of treatment.
Half a century ago, arthrosis and arthritis of the knee, foot and other joints were diagnosed mainly in people over forty years of age.
Today, even teenagers come to the arthrologist with complaints that one or another joint is swollen and has been hurting for a long time.
This is due to two extremes of the lifestyle of modern man:
An additional impetus for the development of foot or heel diseases can be injuries, wearing uncomfortable, low-quality shoes for the sake of fashion, or bad habits.
There are characteristic symptoms that indicate that the joints of the foot, leg, knee or hip are unhealthy. If the joint is swollen, and this symptom does not go away for more than a week, or repeats from time to time after physical activity, the development of joint pathology can be suspected. At the same time, the manifestations of arthritic and arthrosis diseases are somewhat different.
Arthritis is an inflammatory process in the joints. In the later stages, almost all tissues are involved: tendons, cartilage, muscles, ligaments, bones. If left untreated, the joint becomes deformed and then destroyed.
Arthrosis is the premature wear of cartilage. With excessive loads and metabolic disorders, the cartilage becomes thin and then wears out. To make up for it, the joint forms bone growths, as a result of which its mobility is impaired and eventually it is completely blocked.
Both of these diseases are equally unpleasant and lead to complete disability if left untreated. Here are the symptoms of the most common joint diseases.
If your knee, ankle, or hip joint is swollen, it may be a symptom of an internal organ problem, such as hypertension or kidney dysfunction.
Often accompanied by swelling. But in this case there is no pain or very weak.
Inflammation of the knee, hip or ankle joint can be caused by a variety of factors. The main ones:
Obviously, if one of the joints of the legs (knee, leg or thigh) is swollen, there can be many reasons for this. Among them are serious diseases, the treatment of which should be carried out under the supervision of a doctor after an accurate diagnosis.
It is impossible to determine the disease and its form just by the fact that the joint is swollen and painful; additional research and then treatment are required.
How successful treatment will be for a hip, knee, shin, or heel depends on when the patient seeks help.
Early diagnosis allows you to minimize treatment with medications and switch to physiotherapy and folk remedies, as well as avoid serious complications and consequences.
There are several types of diseases of the musculoskeletal system, in which the joints become swollen and painful. Swelling, pain and swelling can occur in the joints of the upper and lower extremities, as well as in the joints of the spine. But a lump found on the back near the spine may mean a skin disease - a sebaceous gland cyst, that is, a blockage of its duct. It is worth knowing what diseases these symptoms indicate and what is the cause of edema and swelling of the joints.
The collective name for any inflammation of the joint is arthritis. It has more than 100 species, depending on the location and clinical picture. Arthritis is a disease of the young, that is, it begins at a young age, up to 40 years, as opposed to arthrosis, which occurs more often in older patients. The main difference between arthrosis and arthritis is that with arthrosis only the joints are destroyed, the body does not suffer. Arthritis is an inflammatory process in the body as a whole, and inflammation in a joint is only a manifestation of trouble in the body. The disease damages the functioning of the heart, kidneys, and liver.
Inflammation of the joints, including the spine, manifests itself primarily as pain, often at night. The affected area swells and turns red. Such a pathology can be of an infectious nature, immunogenetic, post-traumatic, and also develop as a result of a violation of metabolic processes in the body.
Bursitis is an inflammation of the joint cavity (bursa) with synovial fluid. The disease most often develops in large joints: shoulder, elbow, knee. The size of the tumor in bursitis reaches 10 cm in diameter. At the same time, the lump on the elbow, noticeable to the naked eye, is soft to the touch and very painful. The main culprits of this disease are injuries: bruises, wounds, due to which the joint cavity can become infected with microbes and turn into purulent bursitis. Inflammation in the bursa most often occurs in people engaged in heavy physical labor or athletes. Overweight people and those who wear tight, tight shoes are also at risk for developing bunions.
Joints hurt and swell when tendons become inflamed. This disease is called tendonitis. The pain is felt during movement; at rest the joint does not bother the patient. Due to the deposition of calcium salts during operation of the joint, a loud crunching sound is heard in it. Tendinitis is an occupational disease of athletes. Microtraumas and constant loads gradually destroy tendon tissue. The disease most often affects the joints of the legs: knee, hip.
Malignant neoplasm of joints is also expressed by a tumor, but only at the last stage. The disease begins unnoticed. Not everyone pays attention to slight swelling in the back, arms or legs. But together with loss of appetite, frequent fatigue and lethargy, this symptom should alert a person.
An extremely rare pathology of the joints of the legs and arms, in which cartilage tissue grows abnormally in the joint cavity, is called synovial chondromatosis. The disease has been little studied, but it is believed that incorrect cartilage formation is caused by embryonic disorders and frequent trauma. The distinctive symptoms of the disease are swelling, stiffness, pain and crunching during movement.
Perhaps the most obvious cause of elbow swelling is epicondylitis.
It is called tennis disease. With this disease, the muscles and tendons that strengthen the elbow joint become inflamed and destroyed. The development of the disease is provoked by injuries and constant monotonous movements (playing the piano, driving a car, playing tennis). The characteristic pain with epicondylitis occurs when the hand is moved behind the lower back. The disease develops slowly and occurs in patients over 40 years of age, predominantly men.
Most often, tumor and painful symptoms are caused by rheumatological diseases. Ankylosing spondylitis is one of the types of polyarthritis. This disease affects the joints of the spine, starting from the lower back and ending with the thoracic region. At the onset of the disease, pain and limited mobility are felt in the lower spine. As the disease progresses, the connective tissue of the joints of the spine grows, causing loss of mobility - ankylosis. At an advanced stage, the disease affects the internal organs, and the patient acquires the characteristic crouched “petitioner” pose. The causes of the disease are not known for certain, but more often it is associated with immunogenetic factors.
Spondylitis is another group of inflammatory diseases of the spine. For a number of reasons, the bone tissue of the spine becomes thinner or purulent foci appear in it. The disease is characterized by back pain, swelling, limited mobility of the vertebrae up to smoothing of the physiological curves of the spine. Spondylitis is most often caused by tuberculosis and other infections, including sexually transmitted infections, such as gonorrhea and syphilis. Genetic predisposition, reduced immunity and back injuries are also among the factors leading to inflammation of the spine.
Swelling or a lump on the back does not always indicate a joint disease. A pouch can be found on the skin of the back near the spine. Its dimensions start from 0.5 cm and can be more than 20 cm in diameter. The swelling is most often localized in the thoracic or cervical spine. Depending on the nature, the lump may be an atheroma or a lipoma. Despite the fact that in everyday life such bumps are called the same (“wen”), the difference between them is fundamental.
The growth of subcutaneous fatty tissue and blockage of the sebaceous ducts have common causes: stress, poor diet, bad habits, metabolic disorders. Spontaneous disappearance does not exist in either atheroma or lipoma, and doctors recommend removing the formation surgically.
Legs hurt and swell - a common complaint when visiting a traumatologist. With the most common diseases of the musculoskeletal system and internal organs of our body, edema or swelling is the leading symptom. The accumulation of fluid in the cavity of the joints or soft tissues of the legs is a symptom of diseases of the musculoskeletal system, as well as vascular disorders. Arthritis, tendonitis and bursitis can develop in the legs, namely the knee, ankle and hip joints. Doctors also identify the following reasons why legs swell and hurt.
Despite the similar signs of the described ailments, the doctor establishes an accurate diagnosis after additional examination. X-rays, MRIs, ultrasounds, blood tests and a detailed history allow us to draw accurate conclusions.
Why do the phalanges of the fingers become inflamed? What are the signs to recognize the nature of the disease? How to help - drug treatment and traditional medicine, methods of prevention.
People often encounter the problem of swelling of the joints of the fingers, both elderly patients and young people. Sometimes this is swelling due to fluid retention in the tissues, or serious pathological changes in bone joints. To judge the danger of the condition, you need to find the reason why the swelling occurred. For this, consultation with a doctor is essential.
Fingers have movable bone joints and perform the smallest jobs. Unpleasant and often painful sensations in the phalanges of the fingers reduce performance, cause discomfort, and a lot of inconvenience. Swelling can appear at any time for no apparent reason, or may occur along with fever and severe pain. We need correct diagnosis and timely treatment. The reasons why the joints of the hands hurt and swell may be the following:
The symptom can appear at any age. If there is a slight malfunction in the body's systems, the tumor may disappear on its own after some time. It is dangerous if the phalanges of one limb hurt and swell.
The phalanges of the fingers perform numerous flexion and extension movements. There is a constant danger of injury - blows, bruises, cuts. There are also many inflammatory diseases of the joints of the fingers. For example, systemic diseases - diabetes, tuberculosis, lupus erythematosus - negatively affect the anatomically fragile structure of the fingers.
But more often the cause of sore hands is degenerative-inflammatory processes of the bones. Characterized by inflammation of the inner synovial membrane, swelling of the joints, pain and deformation. Arthritis can be acute or chronic and has the following classification:
It is important to correctly assess the situation and understand the reasons why your fingers are swollen. The trigger may be a genetic predisposition, endocrine system disorders, low metabolism, or the presence of microtraumas.
Some people suffer from swollen hands due to stagnation of lymph in hot weather. At the same time, other parts of the body swell, which may indicate heart or kidney disease. Weight gain also leads to fluid accumulation and swelling.
Pain, swelling, redness of the skin due to cuts occur due to infection of the wound surface. A fracture leads to severe swelling, sharp pain, hemorrhage under the skin, and immobilization of the fingers.
Insect bites and other local allergic reactions can be very dangerous, including anaphylactic shock. Require immediate medical attention.
With rheumatoid arthritis, the phalanges of both hands hurt and the connective tissue is affected. The joint turns red, swells, and the skin temperature rises. The pain usually occurs in the morning and can be present for a long time. The disease progresses, and deformation of the fingers appears.
Reactive arthritis occurs after a sore throat, acute respiratory viral infection, enteritis, chlamydia or influenza. Swelling and pain occur in the joint on one side. The skin over the sore spot turns red and becomes hot to the touch. Body temperature rises.
Currently, osteoarthritis also occurs in young people. Pain and swelling lead to dysfunction of the fingers, destruction of cartilage tissue, and deformation of the phalanges. Most often, the thumbs are painful and swollen. The disease is called rhizarthrosis and occurs during physical overload and general weakening of the body. Deformation of the thumb occurs most often.
People engaged in monotonous, monotonous work - typists, programmers, seamstresses, accountants - often complain of swelling and unpleasant, painful sensations in their fingers.
It depends on the diagnosis and the extent of the lesion. What to do to remove swelling in case of injury? Apply ice, treat the open wound with an antiseptic, and apply a dry bandage.
For insect bites and local allergic reactions, sensitizing drugs are prescribed:
You can take these medications only after consulting a doctor. Important: rapid swelling after an insect bite requires immediate intervention from a medical professional.
How to treat swelling of the fingers due to arthritis and arthrosis? You will need to consult a therapist, neurologist, traumatologist or orthopedist. Long-term and persistent treatment, physiotherapy, gymnastics, massage are needed. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used. Depending on the extent of the damage, these may be injections or tablets. Anti-inflammatory ointments are prescribed in combination.
If it is known that swelling appears due to problems with the kidneys or heart, self-medication is unacceptable. When your fingers hurt and become swollen from overexertion, you need to take a break from work. Perform several exercises to relieve muscle spasms. Apply a cooling compress or, conversely, lubricate the painful area with warming ointment. Give a comfortable position to the sore limb.
Even minor discomfort that restricts the movement of fingers interferes not only with work, but also worsens the normal course of life. Throughout the day, hands work tirelessly - writing text with a pen and working with a computer mouse, carrying heavy bags and weeding beds, sculpting, drawing or laying brickwork.
To eliminate swelling of the joints and maintain flexibility of the fingers, gymnastics and self-massage are essential. For arthritis, exercises can be performed after acute symptoms have subsided, when the joints do not hurt. You need to do exercises daily. Hands can be lubricated with massage or any fatty cream. Then the palms are warmed up by rubbing them together. Next, massage each finger starting from the pads. Then they move on to exercises.
Such exercises improve blood circulation, relieve swelling and fatigue.
Along with medications, medicinal herbs are widely used. How to treat swollen joints using folk remedies? If your fingers are swollen, flax seed tea is indicated to remove excess fluid from the body; lotions, baths, and compresses will help.
First of all, hands should be protected and taken care of.
To prevent gouty arthritis, rich broths, chocolate, coffee, smoked meats, tomato juice, cheese, and sorrel should be excluded from the diet. Minimize salt intake and increase fluid intake.
It is difficult to overestimate the importance of joints. They work constantly, no worse than the heart or liver. They help the body move every day by carrying out mental commands every time we want to grab something, turn around, or simply nod. However, among all parts of the body, the legs should have a special place, and when the joints of the legs hurt, the causes and treatment should be clarified immediately.
Leg joints hurt
When the pain is dull, growing, accompanied by crunching sounds at the moment of movement, perhaps this is a symptom of the disease - arthrosis deformans.
If the joints swell, this is accompanied by pain and redness specifically in the ankle joint, then rheumatoid arthritis may develop.
Leg muscles hurt
• Polymyositis is an entire inflammatory process involving muscles and skin. Sometimes accompanied by the development of malignant tumors, it is extremely dangerous.
• Fibromyalgia is another disease where musculoskeletal aching spasms occur, especially painful when the source of the disease is accidentally or intentionally touched.
• Constant sedentary or, conversely, standing work (alas, in some institutions people are forced to spend up to 10 hours in the hall or at their desk);
• Vascular diseases;
• Diseases of the joints;
• Inflammation of peripheral nerves;
• Infectious diseases of the bones themselves.
It is difficult to immediately determine why the calves hurt. Often this is a sprain or bruise, which is extremely easy to get. It is enough to stumble, accidentally fall or hit hard.
3. The emergence or development of an existing intervertebral hernia;
4. Consequence of varicose veins;
5. The nerve of the sciatic area is inflamed;
6. Manifestation of osteochondrosis.
Another disease is more rare, but once it occurs, it will rapidly develop starting from simple inflammation. This is aseptic necrosis at the head of the hip bone. It responds with pain tormenting the outer side of the thigh. Most syndromes are also characteristic of arthrosis, but this disease more often occurs in men.
It is the piriformis muscle syndrome that is classified in almost half of the patients who complained of pain in the femoral part of their legs.
• Flat feet, not treated in time;
• Salt deposition (this is gout);
• Inflammation of tendons, possibly joint capsules;
• Dislocations, various bruises, sprains of muscles and ligaments;
The health of the musculoskeletal system is difficult to overestimate for a person’s full life. Thanks to the normal functioning of joints and muscles, we can make any desired movements. Unfortunately, most people don't appreciate this ability until they are faced with a limitation. One of the main problems that lead to disruption of the motor and support functions of the body is inflammation of the joints of the legs.
The musculoskeletal system of the lower extremities in humans is very complex. For example, the foot consists of 30 bones and 28 joints, each of which can become inflamed, which leads to disruption of its function, and, accordingly, the entire foot. Despite the natural perfection of the structure of the skeleton of the lower extremities, a large number of its structural elements are susceptible to various types of damage, among which the first place is occupied by inflammatory diseases of the joints (arthritis).
In this article we will look at the main causes of inflammation of the joints in the legs, the principles of their diagnosis and treatment.
There are many factors that can provoke arthritis of the leg joints. Medicine knows about the existence of approximately 100 nosological forms that manifest similar symptoms. Therefore, etiological diagnosis in this group of joint diseases is somewhat difficult, which led to the introduction into practice of such a term as inflammation of the joints, which does not indicate the cause, but explains the mechanism of the disease.
The main groups of causes of arthritis in the legs are presented below.
In this case, the body, for some reason, begins to produce antibodies to its own tissues. When these autoantibodies are directed against components of the joint, autoimmune inflammation develops. Moreover, damage to the joints can be one of the many symptoms of the disease (systemic lupus erythematosus, Sharp's syndrome, systemic scleroderma, dermatomyositis) or act as the main symptom of the disease (rheumatoid arthritis, adult Still's disease).
Autoantibodies cause severe joint damage
This group of causal factors can be divided into two categories. In the first case, infectious pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa) penetrate into the joint cavity directly from the external environment (open wounds) or enter there with the flow of lymph, blood, as well as from foci of infection located near the joint, for example, with soft abscesses fabrics. This type of arthritis is called septic.
The second category of infectious arthritis is called aseptic or infectious-allergic. In this case, direct penetration of pathological microorganisms into the joint cavity does not occur, and the inflammation is reactive.
The fact is that many of the pathogens have antigens on their surface that are similar in structure to the antigens of the membranes of the joints. When they are introduced into the body, the immune system begins to produce antibodies. After the enemy cells are destroyed, there is still a large amount of free antibodies in the blood, which begin to actively look for a point of application. This is precisely the joint membrane, where inflammation of an infectious-allergic nature develops. This explains that joint inflammation begins 10-14 days after an infectious disease (ARVI, intestinal, genitourinary infections).
An example of aseptic infectious arthritis is Reiter's syndrome or other reactive arthritis.
Inflammation of the joints can be caused by the accumulation of certain metabolic products in its structures, which occurs in metabolic diseases. These include gouty arthritis and pyrophosphate arthropathy.
Infectious arthritis of the knee joint
In some people, arthritis of the joints of the legs develops as complications of certain diseases, which in most are not accompanied by involvement of the musculoskeletal system. For example, some patients with psoriasis have psoriatic arthritis. This course of the disease is associated with genetic damage, which is why it is very difficult to treat this pathology.
This is a very common pathology. Deforming osteoarthritis can affect all joints of the legs (hip, knee, ankle and small joints of the feet), but inflammatory changes are secondary in nature and do not occur in all patients. Most often, aseptic non-infectious inflammation in arthrosis is caused by one of the provoking factors, for example, overload of the joint, its injury, etc.
Whatever the cause of inflammation of the joints of the legs, all arthritis has similar symptoms. Such signs are called local or articular; they occur with inflammation of any etiology, but are expressed to varying degrees. It is they who in most cases force a person to seek medical help.
Local symptoms of arthritis:
Important! Local signs make it possible to diagnose arthritis without additional examinations, but in order to prescribe the correct treatment, an etiological diagnosis will be required, because only an accurate diagnosis will help the doctor select the necessary medications.
Below we will look at the features of the clinical picture that will allow us to suspect the most common pathologies manifested by inflammation of the joints.
Foot deformity due to osteoarthritis
Gouty arthritis of the first toe
The final diagnosis takes into account, in addition to the clinical picture and anamnesis data, the results of additional laboratory and instrumental studies (rheumatic tests, determination of specific antibodies in the blood and joint fluid, joint puncture, radiography, ultrasound, MRI or CT, etc.).
The therapeutic program is based on 3 main principles:
To eliminate inflammation of the leg joints, mainly conservative methods (medicinal and non-medicinal) are used. Surgical correction of existing deformities is possible only during the period of remission of the pathology.
In severe cases, anti-inflammatory medications are injected directly into the affected joint.
Medicines from the following groups are used:
It is used as additional measures, usually after signs of active inflammation have subsided. Various physiotherapeutic procedures, massage, exercise therapy, dietary nutrition (especially important for gout), the use of special orthopedic devices (bandages, orthoses, special shoes, various braces), and spa treatment are prescribed.
Many patients also resort to methods of alternative medicine, for example, therapy with folk remedies, treatment with leeches, bees, manual therapy, osteopathy and other methods.
In conclusion, it should be noted that any symptoms of arthritis in the legs are a serious reason to visit a doctor, since each type of arthritis requires special treatment.