Joint Pain And Stiffness
Any and every joint in the body can experience pain or stiffness for numerous reasons. Natural disease processes, injuries, trauma, or living an active life are just a few examples of contributing factors to pain and stiffness in the joints.
All points in the body where two bones come together have at least a small amount of joint mobility. Most joints have a bit of extra movement beyond the normal active range of the individual. To demonstrate this to yourself, extend and straighten out one of your fingers and then gently push back on it with your other hand. You should be able to move it slightly further than you could just with your active motion. This is called accessory motion or glide.
The ability for the surfaces to glide or translate on each other can be reduced by a number of factors. A common condition is for one or both boney surfaces to lock or stiffen due to sudden forces or movements, abnormal sleeping posture, etc. There is no actual tissue damage but the surface cannot move properly and may be slightly displace into an accessory glide position. This would also not be visible on imaging such as an MRI, X-ray, or CT scans.
Another cause of joint pain and stiffness is derangement of cartilage, bone, or soft tissue. Tears in cartilage and tendons, fracture of bone, and dislocation or subluxations are all example of derangement.
Degenerative changes can develop into osteoarthritis (inflammation and possible swelling in the joint) which will produce pain and stiffness especially in the morning and with overuse. Other inflammatory condition causing joint pain and stiffness are rheumatoid arthritis, tenosynoritis, and gout.
Treatment for joint and pain stiffness may include gentle strength and stretching activities to improve the function of the joint and reduce stresses to it, icing and pulsed ultrasound therapy to reduce swelling, joint and/or soft tissue mobilizations to increase motion, bracing to support irritated joint surfaces, glucosamine, anti-inflammatory medication prescribed by a physician, injections of Syn-Vise or corticosteroids, and possible surgical intervention.