Thursday, January 15, 2009

Typical Joint Pain Causes and How They are Remedied

By Lisa Johnson

Do you have joint pain? Is it increasing? It may be time to visit your physician to see what the cause is. Only when they know the cause can they truly treat the pain. Giving pain medication is just one part of the treatment plan. If you have an infection, arthritis, joint degeneration, or an injury, each condition will include other treatments as well.

Joint pain can be caused by simple exertion, or it can be more serious like an infection. Finding out the cause is the first step in knowing how to treat the pain. It may be that a little exercise or some physical therapy and an over the counter pain medication can take care of the problem, before it can get worse and cause any permanent damage.

If you are having joint pain that has continued to get worse and last longer this could be from joint degeneration which can be due to aging or over use. This can sometimes be treated by anti-inflammatory medications and mild over the counter pain medications. If this does not work than other measures may be required.

There are many times when surgery is needed to replace the joint, and this is the best way to go, this is done in order to keep you mobile and independent. The procedures have gotten better over the years, and the down time is often less than it was years ago. You will require physical therapy to get the new joint in working order.

The important thing is that if you have joint pain that starts and does not go away within a week or two to contact your doctor. If there is a high fever or swelling accompanied with the pain you should contact your doctor within 48 hours as it could be an infection which may require IV antibiotics or a hospitalization to get the infection under control.

If you have had an injury and you know that is the cause of the joint pain, you should contact the doctor and get in to have x-rays done and other tests to make sure there is no possible permanent damage or that the injury is getting worse. Joint pain can be something simple to treat, or something that requires more advanced treatments, but unless you contact your doctor to find the cause, you may live with pain that you do not have to. - 15438

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