Musculoskeletal pain affects bones, joints, ligaments, tendons, or muscles. An injury, such as a fracture, can cause severe and sudden pain. A chronic condition such as arthritis can also cause pain. Joint-related injuries may appear stealthily, painlessly for up to a day or two after the injury.
Likewise, old injuries can recur from time to time (when it's cold, for example) and usually respond to anti-inflammatory medications, ice, and rest. Bursitis and tendonitis are often the result of an injury that usually affects only one joint. However, certain disorders cause bursitis or tendonitis in many joints. All joints (including those in the spine) are examined for swelling, redness, warmth, tenderness, and noises that occur when the joints move (called crepitus).
Other symptoms, such as rash, fever, eye pain, or mouth sores, may occur depending on the cause of the joint pain. In people with chronic arthritis, continued physical activity is important to prevent permanent joint stiffness (contractures) and muscle loss (atrophy). Here's a look at some of the most common causes of sudden joint pain, how to treat them, and when to see a doctor. Joint pain affects cartilage, ligaments, and bones and is often caused by an injury to a specific joint.
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is a group of related childhood diseases that begin at age 16 and involve persistent or recurrent joint inflammation. Because joint pain is deeper than a muscle injury, it's likely to continue to hurt even when you're resting. Arthritis can affect only the joints of the limbs or also the joints in the central part of the skeleton, such as the spine or the pelvis. They ask about joint stiffness and swelling, previously diagnosed joint disorders, and the risk of exposure to sexually transmitted infections and Lyme disease.
If a particular disorder is suspected, other tests may be required (see table Some causes and characteristics of pain in more than one joint Some causes and characteristics of pain in more than one joint). Although more common among younger adults (people ages 30 to 40), rheumatoid arthritis (RA) Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is inflammatory arthritis in which joints, usually including those of the hands and feet, become inflamed, causing swelling, pain, and often joint destruction. If joints are inflamed, doctors usually insert a needle into the joint to take a sample of the joint fluid and test it (a procedure called joint aspiration). A doctor can often diagnose a musculoskeletal disorder based on the history and results of a physical exam.
Polymyalgia rheumatica Polymyalgia rheumatica Polymyalgia rheumatica involves inflammation of the lining of the joints, which causes severe pain and stiffness in the muscles of the neck, back, shoulders and hips. When evaluating joint pain, doctors first try to decide if the joint pain is due to a joint disorder or a serious illness that affects the entire body (systemic). While the causes of muscle and joint pain may overlap, it is generally possible to distinguish between the two. Joints move throughout their full range of motion, first by the unaided person (called active range of motion) and then by the doctor (called passive range of motion).
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