What is joint Stiffness-Overview
What is joint stiffness is the question which is searched online when a person is unable to move his/ her joint. Joint stiffness is decrease in range of motion of joint either due to pain, physically disability at joint structure level like trauma or chronic diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. typically patient complains that is am unable move my joint. Joint stiffness according to stages either can be at bleeding, edema , granulation or fibrosis stage. According to a research 46% of people complaining of joint stiffness had osteoarthritis.
What are joint Stiffness’s Signs and Symptoms
joint stiffness can have varying degree of signs and symptoms. Signs and symptoms of joint stiffness can be:
- Stiffness during motion
- Redness on joint
- Tenderness on joint
- Warmth joint
- Tingling at joint
- Numbness at joint
- Morning stiffness of affected joint or other joints
- Pain at joint
- Fever
- Any skin infection
- Skin trauma
- History of trauma
- Swelling at joint
- Bruising at or around joint
Any of the above signs and symptoms can be present on the joint depending upon the patient.
What are joint Stiffness’s Causes
Joint stiffness can be caused by many reasons . Most of the people face this condition as they become older, some may become its victim due to some medical diseases while other face it because of their life style. What ever the cause is it basically destroys the basic lubricating structure of joint . As a result joint can not afford friction less movement and patient feels joint stiffness . Some causes are illustrated below:
- Osteoarthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Ankylosing spondylitis (AS)
- Obesity
- Diet
- Gout
- Bursitis around any joint
- trauma
- tumor of bone
- synovial sarcoma
- rupture of cartilage around joint
- muscles weakness
- Lack of exercise
- inflammation of synovial membrane
- Septic Arthritis
- Mixed Connective Tissue Disease (MCTD)
- Cellulitis leading to septic arthritis
- Juvenal idiopathic arthritis
It does not means that all these of causes in a single patient. Every patient has different cause of joint stiffness.
What are joint Stiffness’s Risk Factors
Risk factors are those conditions in which patient has more probability of getting joint stiffness. Followings are some risk factors of joint stiffness:
- Physical injury or trauma
- Over weight/obesity
- older age
- stressful life style
- Smoking
- Physically stress full profession i-e labor
- Lack of exercise
- Intraarticular surgery like ACL reconstruction
- history of Osteoarthritis
- history of Septic Arthritis
- Fresh frozen plasma treatment for Arthritis
- genetics of bones cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, bone tumors etc
How Stiffness of joints is Diagnosed
For th eproper diagnosis of joint stiffness a doctor would go through following processes:
History Questions about Stiffness of joints.
Doctor would ask some questions related to stiffness of joints, either it occurs at morning or not, have you got any trauma or injury. do you have history of any cancer in your family like bone cancer. Doctor would also ask about smoking, life style, occupation, any infection of joint , any other disease history.
Physical examination of Joint Stiffness
After proper history doctor would physically check your joint. He can observe for skin color, redness, warmth, tenderness, range of motion at joint.
Blood Tests for joints stiffness
Doctor can ask for following blood test to exactly diagnose for the cause of joint stiffness :
- Complete Blood Count (CBC)
- Erythrocyte sedimentation Rate(ESR)
- C- Reactive Proteins (CRP)
- Anti Cyclic citrullinated Peptide(anti-CCP)
- Antinuclear antibody(ANA)
- urine complete examination
- liver function test
- renal function tests
it does not mean that doctor would order all test it depends upon the patient need.
Radiology for Joint Stiffness
Doctor can ask for X-Ray, CT scan or MRI of any specific joint . These radiographs have their own limitations and precision power. so according to need doctor can ask for any diagnostic radiography. These radiographs would show in-depth views of your joint which would elaborate the reason more precisely.
Who Should Diagnose Stiffness of joints.
For the proper diagnosis of joint stiffness you should visit a near by Orthopedic surgeon or a physiotherapist.
Who Should Treat Joint Stiffness
As for treatment of stiffness of joints is concerned it mainly involves Orthopedic surgeon and physiotherapist. Because in its treatment you have to use medicines which would be prescribed by orthopedic surgeon . Similarly you would also require so exercises which would be provided by physiotherapist. But you have any other medical illness like lupus or any cancer then you would also need an internal medicine specialist and an oncologist.
When To See Doctor For Stiff joints.
Normally if you have long term osteoarthritis then probably you would have already known that ultimately your joints would become stiff .Similarly if you have rheumatoid arthritis then you have had daily experience of morning stiffness of joints. But if you have following conditions then probably you should immediately consult a doctor.
- acute rapid joint swelling with in one or two days.
- trauma which has caused immediate joint stiffness
- fever along with redness around joint
- rapid loss of movement at joint
How Joints Stiffness is Treated
Treatment of stiffness of joints involves Medicines , physiotherapy , surgery, Joint Replacement.
depending upon the stage of stiffness of joints each treatment can vary. like if you have joints stiffness due to end stage arthritis then probably your would be referred for total joint replacement. Similarly if you have mild trauma you may only need some medicines and physiotherapy. Similarly if you have early morning joints stiffness due to rheumatoid arthritis then you may need only range of motion exercises(ROM). So your orthopedic surgeon would decide which option is best for you.
What are Commonly used medicines for joints Stiffness
Usually joint stiffness is associated with joints pain also as some how inflammation is also involved in Joints stiffness. So doctors normally prescribes following over the counter medicines for joints stiffness.
- Acetaminophen(tylenol)
- acetylsalicylic acid (Asprin)
- Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs(NSAIDS like diclofenic,piroxicam)
- ibuprofen(advil)
- Naproxen (Aleve) .
These medicines just provide temporary pain relief but you should properly investigate the cause of your joints stiffness.
What are the Complications of Stiffness of joints
The only complication of joints stiffness is that it can become fixed. Patient would not be able to move his joints. it is not necessary every joint would become fixed at the end instead it depends upon every patient condition and underlying cause.
How can i manage Joint Stiffness and improve Quality of life
to improve joints stiffness and quality of life you have to make following changes:
- Daily exercise
- Eating healthy diet like fruits and vegetables
- joining gym
- controlling weight in normal range
- regularly visiting your doctor
- quieting smoking
- becoming proactive in your life
- adopting less stressful occupation
- proper supplement intake
How Do i stop my joints from being stiff
To stop stiffness of joints you can do a lot of things starting from non pharmacological treatment to pharmacological treatment . Some of the tips are given below.
- Cold and Hot Compresses : Both of these processes help to soften your joints and can help prevent stiffness of joints .if you want to buy click here for cold compressor and here for hot compressor.
- Increase activity: by increasing activity you can prevent joints stiffness.
- Exercise.
- Physiotherapy.
- Yoga .
What is the Medical Term For Joint Stiffness
To treat medically a lot of options are available for patients . These are given below.
- Over the counter medicines: over the counter medicines can be used like acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen.
- Steroids if prescribed by doctor: at some stages of disease process your doctor may start steroids but these should only be used after proper prescription
What is the best vitamin for Joints Stiffness
Normally every vitamin helps body to function properly. If any of the vitamin become low , body and can not function properly because every function is dependent on other system’s proper functionality. Similarly there are some additional vitamins which can help in treating or at least lowering some symptoms. Some of their list is given below.
- Vitamin-D
- Omega -3 fatty acids
- Curcumin
- Glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate.
Why Joint Stiffness Hurts
joint stiffness is caused by either Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or gout. All these conditions are caused by inflammation or wear and tear of joints. When a joint is damaged it is exposed to the free nerve ending of pain sensation. When these pain receptors are activated they causes hurt to you.
Does Joints Stiffness means i have Rheumatoid Arthritis
Yes you can have rheumatoid arthritis. As the morning joints stiffness is the classic sign of rheumatoid arthritis but you should also look for other disease as well. But if joint stiffness is in early morning and lasts for or more than 30 minutes than usually it would be rheumatoid arthritis.
What makes my Joint Stiff in the Morning
Inflammation is involved behind the joints stiffness. Inflammation is caused by inflammatory mediators .which are chemicals secreted by our immune system. These inflammatory mediatory increases or decreases in 24 hours of our daily life cycle. These mediatory increases in the morning that is why you feel more joints stiffness in early morning.
what are home remedy of Joint Stiffness
Following can be home remedies for joint stiffness. Note that some home remedies may work for one person but may not work for other person so its up to you which works best for you.
Exercise:
Increasing exercise increases blood supply to the whole body . Increased Blood supply removes damaged derbies from the affected site and increases growth of normal tissue . So increasing exercise may decrease your joint stiffness. Here I am recommending you a book for healthy joint workout.
Healthy Diet:
You should add more diet full of vegetables and fruits and reduce diet full of oil, fats and meat. Science behind is that fruits and vegetable increases antioxidant property of your body while oils, fats and meat increases inflammation, weight and uric acid. So antioxidants reduces joint stiffness while inflammation, weight and uric aid increases joint stiffness. Here I am recommending your antioxidant supplements which would help you in reducing joint stiffness.
Cold and Hot Compressors:
Extreme of environments are helpful in reliving pain . Heat increases blood supply which removes damaged areas of joints and increases healing . Which in turn reduces joint pains. Here i am recommending you deep heat creams , hot gloves , warm knee brace and hot ankle support. Similarly cold environment freezes the pain transferring nerve endings which slows pain transmission so you feel less pain. Here again i am recommending you cold cream , cold gloves, cold knee and cold ankle support and cold reusable compressors.
Herbal Supplements:
Supplements can also help prevent or relive joint stiffness. here are some recommended supplements for joints. first click here, second click here, third click here , fourth click here and fifth click here.
Turmeric use in Diet:
Turmeric has been used by humans in history by humans to prevent pains like in the form of golden milk . With the advancement of technology now it is available in the form of supplements to buy click here. Turmeric is strong anti-inflammatory and reduces pain by decreasing inflammation.
Meditations
In meditations like yoga you stretches your muscles . This increases your muscle strength and increases bulk of muscle around your joins. This increased muscle mass increases joint stability . when this joint is stable it reduces stress on your joint . These both phenomenon reduces joint stiffness and pain. So here i have yoga accessories , yoga premium mate, yoga 30 days course and a lot more stuff on this link.
Massage
Massage increases vibration in local area which increases blood supply and warms the area. and i already have told you that increased blood supply removes damaged part and heals the local area . By massage you can reduce your joints stiffness. Here I have massage and hot compressor for shoulder joint, massage machine for any body area, massage oil , and a lot more stuff on our arthritis shop.
Acupuncture
acupuncture can also help you beat your joint stiffness . if you did not know acupuncture i have book for you on acupuncture acupuncture needles, acupuncture mat, acupuncture pen , acupuncture needles and lot more on our shop.
Weight Reduction:
increased weight causes more stress on your joints and surrounding muscles. If you have high weight than firm you should calculate your BMI and know exactly how much your weight should be. After that you should reduce your weight to prevent stress on joints which would relive your joint stiffness.
Temperature Control in House
Too much cold exposure or too much hot temperature can affects your joints. I am talking about people living in snowy areas and in desert areas. To much cold for long duration would continuously decrease blood supply to the stiff joints which can increase your problems of joint stiffness. Similarly too much hot temperature can cause dehydration which can also cause more problems so your should prevents your body from long exposure of these environments.
What are the stages of Joint Stiffness
Joint stiffness has 4 stages.
- Bleeding Stage:
- Edema Formation
- Granulation Tissue Formation Stage
- Fibrosis