One of the most common causes of joint pain is arthritis. The two main forms of arthritis are Osteoarthritis (OA) and Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA).

​

Osteoarthritis

According to the American College of Rheumatology, OA is most common in adults over age 40. It progresses slowly and tends to affect commonly used joints like the:

• wrists

• hands

• hips

• knees

​​

Joint pain due to Osteoarthritis, also known as Degenerative Disc Disease or DJD when found in the spine,  results from a breakdown of the cartilage that serves as a cushion and shock absorber for the joints.

​

Rheumatoid Arthritis or RA

 According to the Arthritis Foundation, RA affects about 1.5 million Americans. It more commonly affects women than men.

​

Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA, is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease, which means that your immune system attacks healthy cells in your body by mistake, causing inflammation (painful swelling) in the affected parts of the body. RA mainly attacks the joints, usually many joints at once

​

It can deform and debilitate the joints over time. Rheumatoid Arthritis causes pain, inflammation, and fluid buildup in the joints as the body’s immune system attacks the membrane that lines the joints.

​

​

Arthralgia: When it’s not Arthritis 

In a person with arthralgia, inflammation is either not present or not the underlying cause of the joint pain. This is the main distinction between arthritis and arthralgia, the medical term for common joint pain.

 

Conditions that can lead to joint pain include complications from previous surgery, advancing age, obesity causing strain on the joints, gout, injuries, tendonitis, decrease in cartilage, tendon tears, post surgical syndrome, repetitive motion injuries, disease process…

 

The list is long and it can become a serious issue if not managed properly. Further injury or addiction to painkillers are common side effects when joint pain is not addressed by a provider with a comprehensive history of treating patients with this kind of pain.

​

Course of Treatment

Western Medicine will turn towards painkillers like Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), cortisone injections, topical pain medications to “treat” the pain and inflammation... These avenues simply manage the symptoms, not help resolve the source of your pain.