Joint problems often occur locally when a person has pain in a particular joint and can pinpoint the location of the pain. But sometimes the pain in the joints cannot be localized, because all the joints or several of them at the same time hurt. In this case, it is premature to talk about rheumatoid arthritis, because in addition to this pathology, there are other diseases in which the pain covers all the joints of the musculoskeletal system.
A careful physician who will analyze patient complaints and determine cause-and-effect relationships can identify the reasons why all joints ache at the same time. Diagnosis is not always easy, and with the most common general symptoms, it is not possible to single out a specific pathology immediately after a series of examinations. Therefore, if systemic joint pain occurs, do not delay a visit to the doctor.
If all joints of the musculoskeletal system are severely diseased, there may be the following reasons:
- Pathologies of autoimmune origin and systemic allergic reactions. Rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis.
- Chronic fatigue, increased physical activity.
- Body intoxication.
- Blood diseases.
When pain occurs in several or all joints, it must be remembered at once that such a situation is only a reaction to certain diseases, but not to independent diseases. The only exceptions are pathologies such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, when the immediate cause is damage to the cartilage itself.
Rheumatoid arthritis
The disease refers to chronic autoimmune pathologies in which the joints in the body are primarily affected. A characteristic feature of rheumatoid arthritis is the involvement of many joints in the pathological process.
Cytokines, metalloproteinases and chemotoxic cytokines play a key role in the inflammatory process. These are anti-inflammatory elements that activate the activity of the human body's own immune cells. As a result, they move to the site of inflammation, ie. Joints of the human body, and cause a typical inflammatory response.
A typical manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis is damage to peripheral joints and symmetrical. When the disease worsens, the pathology affects the larger joints. The pathology mainly affects women, it occurs three times less often in men. It is diagnosed between the ages of thirty and fifty, but can sometimes occur in adolescents - this disease is called juvenile arthritis.
Despite the fact that scientists have clarified the immune nature of the disease, it is still not possible to determine the exact cause of rheumatoid arthritis - why anti-inflammatory cells acquire such pathological activity. To date, a genetic predisposition to rheumatoid arthritis has been proven, and it has also been indicated that negative factors such as tobacco smoking, transmission of viral diseases, and so on, influence the occurrence of pathologies.
The course of the disease is due to the activation of immune complexes, which are produced by the synovial membrane and are located in the blood vessels. Rheumatoid factors - antibodies that are produced to these complexes - react quickly to them. And in some cases, they appear on their own, without the presence of provocative factors.
HELP!In the early stage of pathology development, macrophages migrate to the affected areas, after some time the number of lymphocytes increases there. The release of inflammatory mediators and provokes the development of a pathological process throughout the body.
If a chronic synovial lesion occurs, it becomes thicker and rougher instead of the usual thickness, grows, and wrinkles form on its surface. Synovial fluid cells produce stromelysin and collagenase, which contribute to destructive processes in cartilage tissue. The inflammatory process is intensified by the production of prostaglandins, fibrin deposits and necrotic processes appear.
Overgrown synovial tissue provokes inflammatory mediators that contribute to the destruction of not only cartilage, but also bone tissue, ligaments and joint capsules. The number of leukocytes in the joint fluid itself increases.
The small joints of the body are covered with characteristic rheumatoid nodules, when the joint changes shape and becomes ugly in appearance. The content of such rheumatoid nodules is a necrotic part of macrophages, fibroblasts and plasma cells. Similar nodules can be found in the internal organs.
The disease progresses gradually. Patients suffer from general and local joint manifestations - in the morning there is a characteristic stiffness of the joints, fatigue is observed, loss of appetite, body temperature rises to subfebrile. The condition of the joints becomes much better about an hour after waking up. The joints are affected symmetrically and usually rheumatoid arthritis affects the following joints:
- Joint.
- Second and third metacarpophalangeal.
- Shoulder.
- Knees.
- Ankles.
- Hip.
- Elbows.
In fact, the disease threatens any joint of the musculoskeletal system. The distal phalangeal joints, as well as the elements of the axial skeleton, are the least frequently affected.
The joints remain sore, swollen and reddened and become hot to the touch. To minimize painful sensations, patients try to keep their joints bent - this way they hurt less. Progression of the disease occurs in the first 5-6 years after the appearance of the first pathological changes. Even ten years after the development of the pathology, irreversible changes appear in the patient.
During this time, patients develop significant joint deformities and instability may occur. When nerve branches are compressed, patients suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome, and with rheumatoid arthritis of the knee joint, patients are threatened by Baker’s cyst, deep vein thrombosis, and so on.
In parallel with the articular changes, extra-articular manifestations of the body are observed, which develop with the progression of pathology in every third patient. Examples of such manifestations may be rheumatoid nodules in the lungs, vasculitis, Felty's syndrome, myocarditis.
Diagnosing the disease is not that difficult. Typical clinical criteria of rheumatoid arthritis are shown in the blood, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate increases, C-reactive protein and rheumatoid factor are found in significant quantities.
The patient's health condition is specified on an X-ray, which is done if rheumatoid arthritis is suspected. The disease differs from osteoarthritis, sarcoidosis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, arthritis developed on the background of hepatitis C.
IMPORTANT!When making the diagnosis, it is necessary to take into account that the disease has a rather high lethal outcome, but in rheumatoid arthritis it is not associated with joint damage, but with pathological changes in the heart, internal bleeding.
Treatment of the disease is carried out with supportive therapy, as well as strong NSAIDs. It is recommended to give adequate load to the joints, to add exercise therapy. If necessary, surgery is performed.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is another common pathology that can affect both large and small joints. Various factors can cause osteoarthritis, which primarily has a negative effect on the cartilage tissue of the joint. Cartilage tissue in the entire human body performs several functions and primarily becomes a shock absorber in the process of various movements. Constant stress leads to increased cartilage wear.
If people in good health and strong immunity have the opportunity to repair damaged tissues, then in elderly patients, as well as in patients with increased stress on the joint, the synthesis of new fibers almost does not occur, and cartilage tissue does not regenerate. Osteoarthritis has traditionally been considered a consequence of mechanical action on tissues, but now doctors consider previously transmitted inflammatory diseases to be factors in the development of systemic osteoarthritis.
A typical symptom of the disease is pain in all joints, because the matrix loses extremely important substances - glucosamine and chondroitin sulfate. The lack of these elements leads to the so-called sprain of the joint, ie cracks of different depths appear in the cartilage tissue.
Inflammatory processes can also disrupt the normal structure of cartilage tissue, therefore, when localized in the subchondral part of the bone, doctors often diagnose patients with microfractures. The edges of the bones in the joint are covered with growths - osteophytes. They serve to compensate for the worn part of the cartilage, but actually bring even more negative sensations to patients.
Menopausal women are most susceptible to osteoarthritis.
Since the true cause of osteoarthritis has not been elucidated, doctors have identified several factors that contribute to the development of the disease:
- Congenital cartilage insufficiency, in which it is very easy to injure. For example, patients with such pathology develop flat feet and are often diagnosed with sprains - complete and incomplete.
- Gender is also one of the factors in the development of the disease, because, according to statistics, osteoarthritis is twice as common in women than in men.
- Age characteristic - the disease usually develops in patients older than forty-five years, and in women it coincides with the menopause.
- Obesity.
- Metabolic problems.
- Increased sports load on the joints.
- Traumatic joint injuries.
The disease develops in any joint, but usually the initial joint is the one with the most physical activity. It can be localized in the joints of the knee, hip, elbow and so on.
The symptomatology of the disease is very obvious, so osteoarthritis cannot be left out. In a person with an increased load, the joints immediately begin to ache, while the strength of the discomfort can vary: from a slight whimper in the joint to the strongest sharp pain in the joint. When moving, the pain increases, and at rest it becomes less pronounced.
In parallel with the pain, patients suffer from cracked joints and stiffness. Patients have limited movement. Especially in the moments of disease progression, when reflex muscle spasms are added to the pathology.
At a later stage of the disease, patients develop a characteristic joint block - this is a sharp pain when the joint suddenly stops moving due to the appearance of severe joint pain. This is due to the entry of fragments of cartilage tissue into the cavity, blocking movement. If the disease is accompanied by inflammation, then swelling of the synovium occurs, which is easy to visualize.
The development of osteoarthritis is quite individual. In some patients, X-rays show signs of progression of the pathology, but according to the sensations, the picture of the disease does not change. At the same time, other patients feel severe pain, inflammation and limited movement, when the joint in the picture looks satisfactory, in accordance with the stage of development of the pathology.
The diagnosis of the disease is based on X-ray data and clinical signs of the disease. In parallel, you can do an ultrasound scan or magnetic resonance imaging if there is a need to assess the presence of complications.
Doctors try to treat the disease taking into account the maximum preservation of mobility in the joint and the patient's ability to work in the profession. Therefore, it is extremely important in therapy to stop the progression of the disease, eliminate joint pain and alleviate inflammation.
Currently, the possibilities of treating osteoarthritis are not unlimited, and the tactics of treatment are difficult to recognize as successful, because it is not possible to restore the joints. The disease goes into a chronic phase and you need to fight it constantly.
TIP!However, such unfortunate prognoses do not condemn patients to disability - with successful therapy you can learn to live with osteoarthritis and even maintain physical activity.
Doctors use the following groups of drugs for treatment:
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Glucocorticosteroids.
- Chondroprotectors.
- A means of activating blood circulation.
- Muscle relaxants.
Therapy of the disease primarily consists of drugs that can maximally restore cartilage tissue and establish metabolic processes in the joint. Therefore, the main emphasis is on chondroprotectors, the use of which begins immediately after the removal of inflammation. Treatment with chondroprotectors is long-term and the best result seems to be only the timely start of treatment.
Other diseases
Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis are the most common pathologies in which the joints ache and ache throughout the body. But, in addition to leading in morbidity, there are other conditions that cause pain in the joints.
Joint pain can be a manifestation of leukemia.
Painful joints can be a manifestation of a blood disorder. Hematological pathologies today are the most difficult not only in the diagnosis of the attending physicians, but also in therapy. They are often joined by an oncological factor, and the diseases take on a completely different meaning for the patient. Usually, joints all over the body suffer from leukemia - acute and chronic. At the same time, patients do not even doubt what it means, because the results of blood tests do not show abnormalities.
Arthralgia is not isolated, not only the joint elements are affected, but also the bones and muscles. Therefore, doctors advise patients with long-term painful sensations, it is necessary to consult not only an orthopedic traumatologist or surgeon, but also a hematologist who may suspect pathology and send the patient for additional research.
Body intoxication is another cause of joint pain. The fact is that the joints react extremely sharply to the intake of toxins in the body, and if the joints start to ache and twist, then the impact of occupational hazards, intoxication with household waste, tobacco smoking and alcoholism could be to blame. Patients suffer from extremely unpleasant symptoms - all joints hurt, as if the general condition of the body suffers from the flu.
Improving the patient's health is possible after diagnosis. Detoxification therapy is performed, the blood is purified, and thus the joint fluid from toxins.
Most important
Pain in all joints of the body is not always associated with pathology of the joints themselves. If the joints of the body are affected, then the cause is usually rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis. The symptoms increase rapidly, and the pathological process in the joints progresses.
In other cases, when joint pain is not associated with joint damage, discomfort may be a manifestation of systemic diseases, for example, blood leukemia, as well as osteoporosis, intoxication of the body, infection. Coping with the disease is not that easy, but it is much harder to diagnose the disease. Patients with the appearance of joint pain should contact the clinic in a timely manner in order to start treatment at an early stage.