num_pages: 20
description: Pain is a valuable sensory perception. Without it, you might continue walking after a nail punctured your foot. Or, you might arise from a bicycle accident and continue to ride with a ruptured ligament. Pain alerts you to injury and compels you to lie low until you recover.Chronic pain is completely different story. If you have arthritis (joint degeneration), you’re well aware of the problem. Not moving the joint can actually lead to even more deterioration. Yet the pain holds you back. In this case, anyone would love to trade the pain as an indicator for another, less painful indicator.A number of problems can cause distress in muscles and joints. We’re going to focus on two things: traumatic injuries and osteoarthritis. Mechanical trauma can hurt all elements of the musculoskeletal system: muscles, the tendons that attach muscle to bone, the ligaments that hold the joints together, the joints, and the bones.To a smaller extent, overuse can harm the musculoskeletal system. Many people who use a computer keyboard for long periods of time experience tendinitis (tendon inflammation). “Weekend warriors”— relatively inactive people who decide to go all out on weekends also know the signs and symptoms.After an intense workout, it’s common to experience muscle soreness the next day. Unless the pain is severe, consider this discomfort a sign of weakness leaving your body. What’s happenes is that high-intensity workouts cause microscopic tears in muscle fibers. The muscle then rebuilds and gains bulk. The repair process makes it stronger.Strains and sprains are ailments that occur at all ages. Strains happen when a muscle or the tendon that attaches it to the bone becomes pulled or twisted. They can occur abruptly or over a longer period from overuse.Sprains happen when the ligaments holding a joint in place become stretched or torn. Usually a fall or twisting motion forces the joint out of its normal arrangement. Wrists, ankles, thumbs, and knees are usual sprain locations.Both sprains and strains cause pain, swelling, and occasionally bruising. Symptoms can be gentle, or so harsh that they interfere with normal movement. Severe sprains can be difficult to differentiate from a bone fracture. The treatment is different. That’s why getting a physician diagnosis is a good idea.Arthritis (joint inflammation) is more likely to cause pain and loss of function with age. There are more than one hundred types of arthritis. Osteoarthritis is the most common. Wear and tear is the main cause of osteoarthritis. Being overweight, obesity, and traumatic injuries increase the risk of getting it. Another fairly common arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, is an autoimmune disorder, in which the body’s immune system attacks the joint. Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis can begin in childhood. Symptoms for arthritis include stiffness, pain, aching, and joint swelling. Symptoms of osteoarthritis often improve with movement. Physical activity alleviates most kinds of arthritis. Medications and physical therapy can also help.
language: English
title: Home Remedies to Prevent and Manage Muscle and Joint Pain: Arthritis, Joint Swelling, and Sprains