Joint Pain Problems
Joint Pain is a commonest problem for which a patient consults a doctor. There are multiple conditions that affect the normal functioning of the joints leading to the manifestations of different diseases. Injury due to trauma is one of the issues, leading to impaired joint function but the main issues that cause dysfunction in joints are degenerative and inflammatory changes at joints.
Specific Diseases Affecting Joints
Elbow Joint
- Tennis elbow
- Golfer’s elbow
- Little Leaguer’s elbow
Shoulder Joint
- Shoulder Bursitis
- Frozen shoulder
- Shoulder Arthritis
- Rotator cuff tendonitis
Wrist Joint
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Gout
- Ganglion cyst
- Sprains and Strains
- Tendinitis
Ankle and foot
- Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome
- Plantar Fasciitis
- Achilles Tendonitis
- Calcaneal Bursitis
Hip Joint
- Avascular necrosis of femur neck
- Perthes Disease
- Irritable hip Syndrome
- Hip osteonecrosis
Knee Joint
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Osteoarthritis
Cervical Spine
- Cervical spondylosis
Lumbar Spine
- Lumbar Spondylosis
Causes of Joint Pain
Joint pain is not always related to an underlying condition. Joint problems can be caused by a variety of issues. However, the main causes are degeneration and inflammation.
Degeneration
Normally, a smooth layer of cartilage acts as a pad between the bones of a joint. Cartilage helps the joint move easily and comfortably. In some people, the cartilage thins as the joints are used. This is the start of osteoarthritis. Over time, the cartilage wears away and the bones may rub against one another.
Bones may even start to grow too thick on the ends where they meet to make a joint, and bits of cartilage may loosen and get in the way of movement. This can cause pain, joint swelling and stiffness. The bones can also get weak due to several factors like age, lack of exercises, deficiency of Calcium or Vitamin D and after menopause in women. This can also lead to chances of fracture and can cause joint pain and other problems in the joints.
Inflammation
Inflammation is a part of the complex biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens. This is a protective function meant to protect the healthy tissues from invading organisms like bacteria and viruses and from being affected by the damaged tissues.
Inflammation may be triggered by damages to the tissue as in the case of injury, or by infection or by a process called auto-immunity. Autoimmunity is one such condition where the immune system mistakes parts of the body for invading organisms and starts attacking the body’s own tissues leading to damage to the structures involved.
Joint Damage due to Injury
Injury can cause structural and functional damage to any of the tissues of a joint like the bones, the menisci, tendons and ligaments that can affect the functioning of the joints and lead to diseases.
Symptoms Of Joint Disorders
- Pain – Pain may be at the joint or in associated parts of the joints.
- Swelling – Swelling is often due to an inflammatory response.
- Stiffness – Stiffness is caused by the body to restrict excessive movement in order to protect the damaged part.
- Limited range of movement – when a muscle or tendon is affected, it is not possible to move the joint through the full range that is normally possible.
- Tenderness – Tenderness is pain on touching the part. It is also a sign of inflammation.
- Weakness – Weakness of the part of the body associated with the joint is often seen.
- Inability to move the part – When a tendon or muscle is affected, the person is not able to move the affected part. Movements may be restricted because of severe pain.
- Fever – Joint problems can also be a part of a systemic disease and not only affects the joint but also other organs in the body Ex. Ankylosing Spondylitis, Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Goal of Treatment for Joint pain Problems
The goal of ayurvedic treatment for joint pain disorders is to get relief from the symptoms like pain, tenderness, swelling, redness, stiffness etc to enable the person to perform normal functioning of joints and to prevent further complications and recurrence of disease.
Ayurvedic Treatment For Joint Pain Problems
The Ayurvedic approach to treatment is very personalized. However the approach to treatment of patients suffering from Inflammatory conditions is different significantly from that of Degenerative conditions.
It is seen that chronic joint problems tend to be similar after a long time. Long lasting inflammatory conditions lead to degeneration and degeneration over a long period of time leads to inflammation. So patients who suffer from either of these conditions for a long period of time will have a combination of inflammation and degeneration which have to be addressed simultaneously.
Ayurvedic Treatment of Inflammatory Joint Conditions
According to Ayurveda, the primary stages of Inflammatory conditions are considered to be associated with toxicity and are dealt with by detoxification. Detoxification in Ayurveda is in 3 ways.
- For mild levels of toxicity Ayurveda advocates very light food with warm fluids and rest.
- For moderate level of toxicity, Ayurveda advocates administration of herbal decoctions that help the liver to metabolise and eliminate the toxins.
- For toxicity to a high degree, Ayurveda advocates Panchakarma (The five methods of Cellular Bio-purification).
Ayurveda also advocates a number of medicinal herbs that have a very effective anti-inflammatory action, the main one is Guggulu and it is one of the most important herbs used in Ayurveda for the treatment of Inflammatory conditions.
Ayurveda also employs a number of therapies like-
- Kanjidhara (Pouring of warm fermented liquid),
- Taila dhara (Pouring of warm medicated oil)
- Abhyanga (Oil massage), Udvartana (Herbal powder massage),
- Patra Pottali (Herbal leaf massage) and
- Varieties of Bastis (Enemas) which are very effective for inflammatory conditions.
Course of basti as a continuous process numbering 8, 15 and 30 are called Yoga Basti, Kala Basti and Karma Basti respectively and are very effective in reducing very severe inflammation and bring backs to normalcy.
It is seen to be the main tool used in bringing down the inflammatory markers like RA, ESR, CRP etc significantly.
Ayurveda Approach To Degenerative Joint Conditions
The Ayurvedic approach of treatment is very effective in addressing degenerative muskuloskeletal conditions. Ayurveda recommends a holistic approach to treatment consisting of restricted light diet, lifestyle regimens, medicinal herbs, herbal medicines and panchakarma therapies for addressing degenerative joint conditions.
There are varieties of medicines in Ayurveda which are useful to strengthen the joints and reduce the degeneration. Ayurvedic physicians can choose ideal combinations for each individual. The therapies like
- Tailadhara (pouring of medicated oils),
- Pindswed (massage with bolus of rice boiled in medicated milk)
- Ksheera basti
- Lepan (herbal powder paste application)
are among the most effective therapies for preventing degeneration and to strengthen the joints. It is very important to note that if there is associated inflammation, the anti-degenerative therapy is advised only after the inflammation is brought under control.
