Tips for Describing Your Joint Pain to Your Orthopedic Surgeon

in

Article featured on Arkansas Surgical Hospital

Joint pain can be debilitating, limiting daily activities and draining you both physically and emotionally.  In many instances, joint discomfort is the result of some type of arthritis.  There are various treatment options, including medications, physical therapy, injections, alternative therapies, and surgical solutions, depending on the severity of your joint pain and the damage to the joints.

Is It Joint Pain or Bone Pain?

Accurately describing your joint pain to your orthopedic surgeon can help them determine what treatment is best for you.  Joint pain is different from bone pain and can vary in sensation and severity.  Clearly explaining the feeling is crucial to appropriate diagnosis and treatment.  Bone pain is typically sharp and localized to a specific area, while joint pain tends to be more of an ache and occurs only in the affect joints, not all along a bone.  However, if the joint damage is severe, it may feel quite intense due to missing or damaged cartilage leading to bones grinding against each other.  Joint pain often increases with overactivity or too much weight on the joint.

Be Accurate When Describing Joint Pain

Saying that your joints are stiff isn’t helpful to your doctor or surgeon because it is too vague.  Pinpointing how much pain you’re in, what kind of pain you’re feeling, and how it impacts your ability to use the joints are all part of describing pain accurately.  Osteoarthritis pain tends to feel different from rheumatoid arthritis and other sources of joint pain, so be precise and thorough.  The more detailed your description is, the easier it is for your surgeon to determine the root of the problem.

Where is the Pain Located?

If you have joint pain in your knees, explain whether you feel it in the kneecap area, the back of the joint, or on the sides.  The knee’s complex ligaments and bone structure mean there is more than one kind of knee joint pain.  If you have joint pain in the hands, tell your doctor which joints are affected.  For instance, osteoarthritis is more common in the joints at the end of the fingers, while rheumatoid arthritis isn’t as likely in these joints.  Narrow down the area as much as possible.

What Kind of Pain Is It?

There are many kinds of pain, and the form it takes is critical when diagnosing and treating joint issues.  Descriptive words are helpful, as are comparisons such as, “It feels like something is caught in the joint.”  Here are some excellent descriptions you can use:

  • Crunching or Grinding.  When bones are rubbing against each other, you may feel like the joint is grinding rather than moving smoothly.  It may feel like gravel in the joint.
  • Snapping, Crackling, or Popping.  This is the sensation of something releasing or popping out of place and is often accompanied by a popping sound.  Osteoarthritis often leads to snapping or crackling in the joints.
  • Throbbing.  If the joint pain feels like it pulses, make sure your surgeon knows.
  • Dull or Achy.  Your pain can be dull (rather like a bruise) but still be severe.  Dull pain or aching can be an underlying, constant pain with periodic flares of other kinds of pain such as stabbing or burning sensations.
  • Stabbing.  Does it feel like somebody stuck a knife in your joint?  Your surgeon needs to know if the stabbing pain is consistent, periodic, or linked to any activities or other circumstances such as standing for long periods.
  • Burning.  Some patients describe burning pain as the joint burning from the inside or a hot sensation in the joints.
  • Radiating.  If you have pain that starts in one area then travels toward another, it is described as radiating pain.  Some people experience hip pain that radiates down the leg when they try to put weight on it.  This may indicate nerve involvement in addition to problems with the joint itself.

The When and Why of Joint Pain

Joint pain isn’t always constant.  It can come and go depending on what you’re doing and the time of day.  Make sure your surgeon knows if your pain seems to flare when you participate in in certain activities or gets worse during specific times.  If your pain is more significant when you wake up in the morning or is aggravated after activities, tell your doctor.  Some forms of arthritis may cause greater pain after you’ve been moving around a lot, while others may be worse after you’ve been inactive for too long.  If your joints lock up, give way, or feel weak or unstable, your doctor needs to know this, particularly if increased pain results.

The duration of your pain is another element of the “when” of joint pain.  While your knees or hips may hurt a lot when you first wake up in the morning, how long it lasts can indicate whether you have osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.  It can also help define the severity of the problem.  Does the discomfort after exercising last 30 minutes or several hours?  Is the pain worse when walking up a hill or a flight of stairs?  Details like this can aid your surgeon in a correct arthritis diagnosis.

Finally, be sure to inform your doctor of any other elements that affect your joint pain.  Pain that flares during certain types of weather, when you’re under stress, or when you are tired may help pinpoint an arthritis diagnosis or indicate other underlying issues.

The Severity of Joint Pain

Many physicians use a pain scale of 1 to 10, with 1 meaning little to no pain and 10 meaning unbearable pain.  No one experiences pain the same way others do, but the pain scale helps doctors get an idea of how severe your discomfort is and how much it impacts your life.

  • 0 = No pain
  • 1 = Occasional, minimal pain
  • 2 = Mildly annoying, not constant
  • 3 = Painful enough to distract you if not busy
  • 4 = Maybe distracting even when occupied
  • 5 = Can’t be ignored for long stretches, but you can still do things (although uncomfortably)
  • 6 = Can’t ignore your pain
  • 7 = Difficulty sleeping, concentrating, and socializing
  • 8 = Physical limitations and difficulty with normal functioning, nausea, and dizziness
  • 9 = Crying, inability to speak, possibly passing out from the pain
  • 10 = Unconsciousness

Successfully Treating Arthritis Pain

The two most common forms of arthritis, osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, generally require different approaches, making the proper diagnosis critical when you’re suffering from joint pain.  Arthritis surgery is one of many options available to minimize discomfort and increase range of motion.  Still, your surgeon will usually recommend it only after you’ve tried other treatments such as medications and physical therapy.

Arthritis pain may be the result of a variety of triggers, including:

  • Cracks or chips in the affected bones
  • Inflammation of the tendons and muscles around arthritic joints
  • Bone spurs
  • Muscle spasms caused by irritation from damaged bone
  • Decreased blood flow in arthritic joints
  • Loss of synovium between the bones

With so many potential causes of joint pain and a wide range of treatment options, accurately describing your pain to your surgeon is the first step in finding the best treatment for you and getting you back to doing the activities you enjoy.

The Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center of Oregon is an award-winning, board-certified orthopedic group located in downtown Portland Oregon. We utilize both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, spine diseases, sports injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, tumors and congenital disorders.

Our mission is to return our patients back to pain-free mobility and full strength as quickly and painlessly as possible using both surgical and non-surgical orthopedic procedures.

Our expert physicians provide leading-edge, comprehensive care in the diagnosis and treatment of orthopedic conditions, including total joint replacement and sports medicine. We apply the latest state-of-the-art techniques in order to return our patients to their active lifestyle.

If you’re looking for compassionate, expert orthopedic surgeons in Portland Oregon, contact OSM today.

Phone:
503-224-8399

Address
1515 NW 18th Ave, 3rd Floor
Portland, OR 97209

Hours
Monday–Friday

Potential Causes of Stiff Joints and What to do About Them

in

Featured on MedicalNewsToday

Many people experience stiff joints as they age. Others may experience joint stiffness due to medical conditions and lifestyle choices. Sometimes, people can treat stiff joints at home.

Many people who experience joint stiffness tend to feel it after sitting for prolonged periods or after first waking up. Some people experience a mild discomfort that goes away after moving again. Others find that the stiffness lasts longer and is more uncomfortable.

In more severe situations, stiff joints may impact a person’s mobility. People may have difficulty putting weight on their joints, or they may have problems standing or walking.

What are the causes?

Most people will experience joint stiffness at some point, but the reasons for the discomfort may vary based on a variety of factors. Some causes are more severe than others.

Causes of stiff joints include:

Sleeping posture

Many times the way people sleep at night can contribute to joint stiffness.

When a person does not sleep in a way that aligns the spine and keeps their neck in a neutral position, they may wake up feeling stiff or achy.

People who sleep on their sides may want to avoid lying on a particular side if it is already feeling stiff. Using a variety of pillows around the body can help keep it in the right sleep position for a good night’s rest and less joint stiffness.

Time of day

In addition to sleeping posture, research shows that joint stiffness may be more severe in the morning when a person first wakes up due to a correlation between inflammation and a person’s circadian clock. This is more likely in cases of joint stiffness resulting from rheumatoid arthritis.

In addition, there is some evidence that poor sleep may make joint discomfort worse at night. This, in turn, contributes to poor sleep. For this reason, people who have conditions like arthritis may struggle to get enough rest at night.

Age

Older adults may have stiffer joints simply because of a lifetime of use. Over time, a person’s range of joint motion becomes more restricted. A person may also become less flexible.

The cartilage, which is the cushion that protects the connection between a person’s bones, also begins to wear down. This causes inflammation and can lead to arthritis.

Obesity

When a person is overweight, their weight is higher than what doctors consider healthy for their height. The most common way to measure this is with the Body Mass Index (BMI). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention define BMI higher than 25 as overweight, higher than 30 as obese, and higher than 40 as severely obese.

When the body carries additional weight, this weight places extra pressure on the joints. In addition, fat cells can release proteins into the body that can cause inflammation. Both of these factors together may lead to arthritis, which can cause joint stiffness.

In addition, research shows that being overweight may cause all kinds of metabolic problems in the body, which may have a negative effect on bone health.

Diet

Eating animal and dairy products may play a role in triggering conditions that can cause joint stiffness such as gout or arthritis.

When people eat more of these foods and fewer plant-based foods, they may be more susceptible to joint stiffness.

Research shows that choosing some variation of a Mediterranean or vegan diet may help reduce stiffness. Specifically, eating more fiber, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, healthy fats, probiotics, herbs, and spices may be beneficial.

Bursitis

Bursitis develops when tiny, fluid-filled sacs in the joints called bursae become inflamed. The inflammation causes pain as well as stiffness.

Bursitis can happen in nearly any joint, but it is most common in larger joints, such as:

  • shoulders
  • hips
  • knees
  • ankles
  • elbow

Bursitis usually heals by itself with rest. A person should typically reduce activities that move the joint and rest the joint for long periods.

Resting the joint allows the bursae to recover, causing the pain and stiffness to go away.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative type of arthritis that affects over 32.5 million people in the United States. This type of arthritis is due to wear and tear and is, therefore, more frequently seen in people over the age of 65.

Osteoarthritis often affects:

  • fingers
  • hips
  • knees
  • back
  • neck

As it progresses it can cause: swelling and pain, as well as cracking noises with movement.

Treatments usually center around relieving pain and reducing swelling in the joints. People whose osteoarthritis is particularly painful and debilitating may require surgery.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is another common arthritis that affects about 1.5 million people in the U.S. RA typically appears in adults between the ages of 30 and 60.

RA is an autoimmune disorder that causes the immune system to attack otherwise healthy joints. People with RA will experience pain and swelling as the body attacks the joints.

There is no cure for RA. Treatments focus on slowing the progression of the disease.

Lupus

Lupus is another autoimmune disease that causes the immune system to attack healthy tissue, such as muscles and joints. When lupus attacks the joints, symptoms include:

  • swelling
  • stiffness
  • pain

Lupus is often difficult to diagnose because many of the symptoms are similar to other medical conditions. There is no cure and symptoms will get worse over time. Treatment focuses on treating the symptoms. Available treatments can be effective in helping people find symptom relief.

Gout

Gout is a sudden onset arthritis that tends to affect males more often than females. Gout is a condition that develops quickly, with symptoms sometimes appearing overnight, often in the big toe.

Symptoms include:

  • severe pain
  • severe tenderness
  • stiff joints
  • swelling and increased warmth of the joint

Gout can develop in any joint. Gout will typically appear for a short period and go away. People with gout often get symptoms on and off throughout their life. Treatment focuses on reducing the severity of the symptoms and lowering levels of uric acid in the blood.

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that causes a person pain throughout the body. This condition also includes joint stiffness as one of its symptoms. Because people who have lupus or rheumatoid arthritis may be more prone to this condition, these people may be at more particular risk for joint stiffness.

Bone cancer

While there are different types of bone cancer, the most common kind is osteosarcoma. While cancer doesn’t cause joint stiffness often, it may do so occasionally. When a person gets stiff joints due to bone cancer, they usually get in the arms and the legs.

Treatment

There are many over-the-counter (OTC) and home remedies to help alleviate joint stiffness, pain, and swelling. One type of OTC medication a person can take is nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which include medications like ibuprofen (Advil), as well as other pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol).

For people who experience severe joint stiffness as a result of conditions like arthritis, recent research still shows NSAIDs may be more effective than opioids like morphine.

It is essential that people speak to their doctor if the cause of the joint pain is unknown, comes on suddenly, or is accompanied by other symptoms.

What are the home remedies?

People can also choose to try home remedies to reduce joint stiffness along with any other treatments that a doctor has recommended or prescribed.

Home remedies can include:

  • using hot and cold compresses
  • losing excess weight
  • Exercising
  • eating a balanced diet
  • taking supplements, such as fish oil

When to see a doctor

People do not need to see their doctor if joint stiffness typically occurs first thing in the morning or after sitting for extended periods. However, they should consult a doctor if stiffness comes on suddenly or does not go away after a few days.

People should also speak to their doctor if they have:

  • rapid swelling
  • severe pain
  • deformity of the joints
  • joint redness that is hot to touch
  • loss of mobility in the joint

Stiff joints can be a sign of a more significant health problem. People should speak to their doctor about their symptoms if in any doubt.

Summary

Many people will experience joint stiffness as they age. Most often this stiffness will wear off after a person gets up and moves around. Other people, however, may experience joint stiffness as a result of an underlying condition.

Anyone who has any doubt about the cause of their joint stiffness should speak to their doctor to help rule out or treat a potential underlying condition. With proper treatment and some home remedies, a person can typically relieve their stiff joints.

The Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center of Oregon is an award-winning, board-certified orthopedic group located in downtown Portland Oregon. We utilize both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, spine diseases, sports injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, tumors and congenital disorders.

Our mission is to return our patients back to pain-free mobility and full strength as quickly and painlessly as possible using both surgical and non-surgical orthopedic procedures.

Our expert physicians provide leading-edge, comprehensive care in the diagnosis and treatment of orthopedic conditions, including total joint replacement and sports medicine. We apply the latest state-of-the-art techniques in order to return our patients to their active lifestyle.

If you’re looking for compassionate, expert orthopedic surgeons in Portland Oregon, contact OSM today.

Phone:
503-224-8399

Address
1515 NW 18th Ave, 3rd Floor
Portland, OR 97209

Hours
Monday–Friday

Having Joint Pain? Follow These Tips to Finish the Summer Off Safely

in

Article featured on Arkansas Surgical Hospital

Summer still has time left, and everyone is looking forward to getting outside and being more active. If you suffer from joint pain due to arthritis or injuries, it’s essential to follow a few safety tips to ensure you don’t aggravate your joints. Exercising with arthritis is vital to maintaining joint health and mobility, but it must be done safely. If you overdo things, your joint pain can flare up and put you back on the couch or in your doctor’s office.

Can I Exercise with Joint Pain?

Don’t hesitate to exercise because of joint pain. Arthritis does not have to stop you from living a healthy, active life! Not only can proper exercise help alleviate joint pain over time, but it can lead to several other benefits, including:

  • Improving your flexibility and muscle strength, which can take some of the strain off your arthritic joints
  • Improving your cardiac health
  • Losing weight
  • Increasing the level of endorphins in your system, which contributes to feelings of well-being while reducing pain perception

Low-impact exercise programs are the best option for anyone with arthritis. These activities provide a good workout without overly stressing the joints. The risks of overuse, overextension, and inflammation are much lower if you opt for low-impact exercise that doesn’t put too much pressure on the joints.

What Are Some Low-Impact Exercise Options?

There are a few different types of low-impact exercise you can try, and they vary depending on your goals and preferences.

Aerobic Exercise

Aerobic exercise focuses on improving your endurance and cardiovascular health. Some low-impact aerobic exercises include bicycling, swimming, elliptical machines, yoga, and kayaking or rowing. You can also find low-impact aerobic exercise routines online and at your local gym.

While aerobic exercise raises your heart rate and makes you break a sweat, it doesn’t jar the joints. Twenty minutes to a half-hour of aerobic or endurance exercise three times a week is a good baseline. If you’re just starting out, you can try splitting your exercises into ten-minute increments.

Range-of-Motion Exercise

Range-of-motion exercise is all about flexibility and maintaining safe, healthy joint motion. Dance, yoga, tai chi, and programs focusing on fully extending your joints can help maintain flexibility and alleviate joint stiffness. If you have a physical therapist, they can recommend range-of-motion exercises you can do at home. You can safely do range-of-motion exercises every day. Aim for at least every other day for the best results.

Strengthening Exercise

Strengthening exercise is focused on building and maintaining muscle strength. The stronger the muscles in and around your arthritic joints become, the more support your joints will have, helping protect them from damage.

Weightlifting (within reasonable boundaries) and resistance exercises will make you stronger while improving your overall health. Remember that you must allow your muscles and joints to rest and recover, so don’t do strength training every day—every other day is enough. Always stop if your joint becomes inflamed or you feel a sudden, sharp pain.

Tips & Tricks for Exercising with Arthritis

Any time you exercise, it is important to keep safety in mind. This is even more important if you have arthritis and run the risk of inflammation, pain, or injury.

Here are a few suggestions to keep in mind when exercising with arthritis:

Getting Started

  • Look for low-impact exercises online. You’ll find step-by-step instructions and videos geared toward those exercising with arthritis.
  • Workouts done in water are less stressful to your joints. You can find water aerobics classes at many gyms and health clubs.
  • Not sure if the exercise you’re considering is low-impact? Use this as a general rule of thumb: if at least one of your feet is on the ground at all times, it’s low-impact. For example, walking is low-impact, but running is not.
  • Invest in supportive athletic shoes appropriate for your chosen activities to reduce the chance of injury.

Before Exercising

  • Always consult with your doctor before beginning any low-impact exercise. Follow their recommendations about the frequency and intensity of your workouts.
  • Do not exercise when you are suffering from an arthritis flare-up. This can increase pain and inflammation.
  • Apply heat before exercising to relax the joints. Warm towels or a soothing shower can help.
  • A five-minute warmup is essential before exercising to loosen stiff joints and minimize the risk of injury.

While Exercising

  • Make sure to use proper posture and techniques when exercising to avoid stress to your joints or tears in your tendons.
  • Start slow. Ten minutes of exercise several days a week is a good start, working up to 30 minutes or more at each session.
  • If your joint starts to burn or become visibly swollen, stop exercising. Even low-impact workouts can be overdone.
  • Avoid sharp or jerky movements. Low-impact workouts are designed to be fluid and responsive rather than aggressive. Cycling fast is fine, but trying to do jumps or tricks isn’t a good idea.
  • While exercise is healthy for those with joint pain, overheating is not! Exercise indoors or during the cooler times of the day (morning and evening) to minimize overheating, which can trigger arthritis flare-ups.

After Exercising

  • Icing your joints after exercising can reduce swelling and discomfort.
  • Mild soreness after exercise is normal, but if it lasts more than a few hours, you may have overdone it. Take a break for a day or two, then start back slowly.

Other Ways to Minimize Summer Joint Pain

Summer heat can also contribute to joint pain in a few unexpected ways. For example, it’s easy to become dehydrated when you’re outside on a hot day. When you’re dehydrated, your body is low on electrolytes, which can cause joint inflammation. Remember to drink lots of water and sports drinks when you spend time outdoors.

It may be tempting to stay inside where it’s air-conditioned, but don’t avoid the sun! Your body craves vitamin D, and a deficiency in the “sunshine vitamin” can lead to increased joint pain and weaker bones. Try to spend at least a half-hour in the sun each day, being sure to wear sunscreen and sunglasses.

Finally, stress can also contribute to summer joint pain. Although you can’t avoid all stressors in your life, try to minimize anxiety. Don’t feel obligated to say “yes” to every invitation, and make sure you’re getting enough sleep.

Have a Safe & Happy Summer

Don’t let joint pain sideline you during the summer months. Exercising, paying attention to your health, and participating in safe activities helps you maintain a healthy body while protecting your joints.

The Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Center of Oregon is an award-winning, board-certified orthopedic group located in downtown Portland Oregon. We utilize both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, spine diseases, sports injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, tumors and congenital disorders.

Our mission is to return our patients back to pain-free mobility and full strength as quickly and painlessly as possible using both surgical and non-surgical orthopedic procedures.

Our expert physicians provide leading-edge, comprehensive care in the diagnosis and treatment of orthopedic conditions, including total joint replacement and sports medicine. We apply the latest state-of-the-art techniques in order to return our patients to their active lifestyle.

If you’re looking for compassionate, expert orthopedic surgeons in Portland Oregon, contact OSM today.

Phone:
503-224-8399

Address
1515 NW 18th Ave, 3rd Floor
Portland, OR 97209

Hours
Monday–Friday
8:00am – 4:30pm