Are you waking up to a dull ache in your legs?
Just walking up a couple of flights of stairs can kill your knees.
This is due to joint pain. Joint pain can severely impact your ability to lead a healthy, active lifestyle.
From long walks to vacations, everything becomes a challenge. But why do you get joint pain?
Ever wondered about this?
In today’s, we’ll be talking about 10 possible reasons your joints hurt all the time, according to doctors.
Getting older is one reason. What about bursitis and thyroid issues?
We’ll be discussing all of these AND more…
1. Getting Older
Joint pain is not uncommon. According to a survey, around 30% of US adults report having some form of joint pain over the last 30 days.
Experts define joint pain as the discomfort experienced around one or more joints.
You may also experience swelling, warmth, redness, and tenderness.
The joints are what support your entire body. They’ve been doing it all throughout your life.
As you can imagine, they take a lot of punishment. Over time, it becomes harder for them to function.
This is especially true for joints that hold weight, such as your knees and hips.
If you’re on the heavier side, then these joints can take a beating over a period of time.
Shoulders are another area where the joints start to hurt as you grow older, especially if your daily activities include a lot of lifting and reaching for things.
Have you measured your Body Mass Index? Is it healthy?
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2. Old Injuries
How many of you were constantly breaking bones as kids?
When you’re younger, injuries don’t seem like much of a problem. You may not even look to get treatment for some.
This is especially true for people who play sports growing up. But these injuries, whether they’ve been treated or untreated, can come back later in life to cause joint pain.
A bone fracture is an obvious source of discomfort, as it may not have been reattached properly.
Even ligament tears and tendon issues can cause inflammation later on in life.
Of course, it’s not always possible to protect yourself from getting injured. So, the best you can do is take your doctor’s advice and manage the symptoms.
3. Bursitis
As your bone is a rough, hard tissue, it can cause harm if it comes in direct contact with other body parts.
To avoid this, your body has something called a bursa.
This is a small sac filled with fluid.
The bursa functions as a cushion between your bone and other parts like muscles and tendons.
When the bursa swells too much, it’s called bursitis.
When you have bursitis, you will feel pain around your joints and muscles.
While the bursa is present in almost all parts of your body, bursitis is usually seen in the shoulders, elbows, knees, and ankles.
Bursitis can also happen because of an unrelated injury. For instance, if you’re limping because of lower back pain, it can cause bursitis in your knees, or in your hip.
4. Thyroid Issues
Your thyroid is the small gland present in the front of your neck.
It makes the hormones that manage the way your body uses energy.
There are many other functions of these hormones. One of those is to act as a lubricant for your joints and muscles.
This way they can stay healthy. However, if you suffer from hypothyroidism, the thyroid gland in your body does not make enough of those hormones.
When that happens, your joints and muscles are affected and start hurting.
5. Rheumatoid Arthritis
When you grow old, the wear and tear of your joints result in osteoarthritis. But rheumatoid arthritis is a different issue.
This particular type of arthritis is an autoimmune disease, with the majority of the people affected being female.
Among the 1.3 million people affected by rheumatoid arthritis, 75% are women.
If you have rheumatoid arthritis, your joints will be tender and swollen.
You would also feel stiff when you wake up in the morning.
It may not always be possible to get rid of joint-related issues, but you can try a course of antibiotics to alleviate the symptoms.
While the issue can go away by itself after a period of time, you will need to get yourself checked by an arthritis doctor if it does not.
6. Infectious (septic) Arthritis
If it’s not rheumatoid arthritis causing your joint pain, it could very well be infectious arthritis.
If you’re wondering how this can be possible, it’s usually the result of not cleaning a wound or a puncture with soap and water.
When you don’t properly clean the wound, any joints near the wound can be infected by bacteria.
When that happens, you will tend to see swelling and pain in the affected parts.
You will also have a fever and chills. With this type of arthritis, it’s the knees that are usually affected.
But your hips and ankles can also feel the wrath. It could get so bad that your doctor will want to drain the fluid out.
7. Gout
While protein is a very important nutrient for your body, consuming too much of it is also not a good thing.
When you ingest too much protein in your body, it creates a lot of uric acids. With so much uric acid, your body may not be able to flush it all out.
When that happens, your body will react with intense inflammation.
This is called gout. Among all the arthritis conditions you may suffer, gout is the most painful.
When you have gout, you will exhibit symptoms such as swelling, redness, and pain.
It’s not just the result of high amounts of protein. You can get gout from drinking too much alcohol and sugary drinks.
If you tend to get dehydrated too often, you raise your chances as well. If you’re overweight, it’s another risk factor.
8. Lyme Disease
More than 30,000 people every year are reportedly bitten by the tick that causes Lyme disease.
Experts estimate the actual count is somewhere around 300,000!
This particular tick will latch itself to your skin and drain the blood out of your body.
More importantly, the head of the tick has an infection that can get into your bloodstream.
If you have Lyme disease, you will show symptoms such as fatigue, fever, and headache.
You may also see a rash in the shape of a bulls-eye.
This disease can be hard to diagnose if you’re not living in an area where ticks are common.
When Lyme disease is not treated quickly, it can spread to your joints and cause problems to your knees.
Your neck could also become stiff. Your feet and hands will likely be sore.
9. Lupus
If you suffer from the autoimmune disease lupus, your joints will get weakened.
If you do not get it treated quickly, it may never get better.
When you have lupus, your immune system becomes overactive and targets your joints along with your kidneys and other organs.
For people suffering from lupus, symptoms include joints that are swollen and painful.
You may have a rash across your cheeks, usually in the shape of a butterfly. You will also go through hair loss and have some trouble breathing.
10. Gonorrhea
Yes, gonorrhea is an STI, but it does more to your body than what you’d expect from an infection of its kind.
You could end up dealing with a condition called gonococcal arthritis which can have a debilitating effect on your joints.
If you have gonorrhea, you will see symptoms such as a swollen joint, which has also become red.
This will come with other STI-related symptoms, including burning while you urinate.
The best way to avoid joint pain is to develop a healthy active lifestyle.
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