What causes joint pain in the elderly? Why do joints hurt in middle age?

Because the organs of the elderly are slowly aging, they often suffer from some major and minor illnesses. For example, joint pain is very common, especially when people reach middle age, some joints will begin to hurt. So why is this?

What causes joint pain in the elderly?

Joint swelling and pain are common in the elderly. The most common cause in the elderly is osteoarthritis. Due to the wear and tear of the bone and joint cartilage, synovial inflammation occurs in the joints, which in turn leads to joint effusion, joint deformation and pain. However, other medical diseases are not excluded.

Coronary heart disease

Because some elderly people suffer from coronary heart disease and mild heart failure, they will have problems with the venous circulation in their lower limbs, which will lead to swelling of the lower limbs. Some will even cause obvious swelling of the joints and calves and feet.

Liver disease

When a patient has liver problems, the liver's coagulation function and the body's waste metabolism function will be impaired. Due to the coagulation problem, when the patient flexes and extends the joints, it is easy to stimulate the synovial membrane in the joint cavity, causing exudation or bleeding. Because this situation is not very common, it is easy to be ignored.

kidney

Kidney disease can lead to water metabolism disorders. This is why many patients with renal failure will have obvious edema. After all, the elderly are in a relatively weak state. If the joint swelling and pain are caused by kidney disease, the elderly need to be examined. Blood tests can confirm whether there are any problems with kidney function. A color Doppler ultrasound of the kidneys can also be done to determine whether the kidneys have cysts or atrophy.

Lower extremity venous thrombosis

The veins of the lower limbs are equivalent to the return pipes of our heating pipes. When the return pipes are blocked and the arteries are equivalent to the water supply pipes that continue to supply water, it will inevitably lead to swelling of the limbs. When venous thrombosis forms in larger blood vessels, it will cause more serious swelling of the lower limbs, and it is very likely to cause effusion in the joints and gradual severe swelling of the lower legs.

Why do my joints hurt when I reach middle age?

The joints are also constantly wearing out, and the cartilage tissue in the joint cavity is the most susceptible to wear. Being overweight or excessive joint movement will accelerate the wear of the cartilage tissue.

Slight wear and tear may not cause any problems at first, but over time, when the cartilage is worn to a certain extent, the two adjacent bones will begin to rub against each other during exercise, compensatory bone hyperplasia and bone spurs will form, leading to joint hyperplasia. Eventually, it will cause joint pain, limited movement, and even swelling and deformation. In addition, the reduction of synovial fluid in the joint cavity can also cause joint pain.

Chronic arthritis and mild meniscus degeneration are mostly caused by long-term use of the knee or heavy load on the joint. For example, work needs, long-term weight bearing, fatigue, long-distance swinging or long-term walking will cause degeneration and damage of the knee meniscus, sclerosis and hyperplasia of the joint edge, etc., which will stimulate the surrounding synovium and cause chronic inflammation, edema, and pain!

How to relieve pain in swollen and painful joints in the elderly

1. Drug treatment: You can use painkillers such as aspirin, compound sodium salicylate or paracetamol, which have analgesic and anti-rheumatic effects. If you have osteoporosis, you also need to take calcium supplements to help calcium absorption and prevent osteoporosis. Eat more fish, walnuts, milk and other foods to supplement calcium. Pay attention to balanced nutrition, drink less alcohol, drink more tea, and adjust the dietary structure reasonably to reduce the risk of arthritis in patients.

2. Acupuncture therapy: You can consult a Chinese medicine doctor, who can use body needles, ear needles, plum blossom needles and other commonly used acupoints for acupuncture therapy, which has analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects.

3. Cupping therapy is performed according to the location of joint lesions, degree of pain, injury and cause, and according to commonly used acupoints or pain points. It has the effects of relieving pain, reducing swelling, inflammation and dehumidification.

4. Hot compress treatment: Use hot water bag or hot salt water to treat joints, 1-2 times a day, which can relieve pain and reduce swelling. You can also use strong hot air fumigation, 30 minutes each time, 1-2 times a day, which has obvious analgesic effect.

5. There are also some physical therapy treatments such as magic lamp therapy irradiation therapy, magnetic therapy physical therapy, etc., which can also be done for a long time to help relieve pain.

6. Life precautions: You should also keep warm in your daily life, avoid sudden changes in temperature, do appropriate and reasonable exercise, and maintain an optimistic and positive attitude towards treatment. You should also pay attention to controlling your weight and eat less foods with high fat content.