Early Signs of Joint Problems and What To Do About Them

Joint health is vital to living an active, pain free lifestyle. Joint problems are often overlooked and action is not taken until symptoms such as pain and immobility have already manifested in a major way. However, this doesn’t have to be the case. Minor tweaks to your lifestyle are sometimes all it takes to prevent pain, inflammation, and sometimes joint replacements. Below, you’ll read on how to identify the early signs of joint problems, and what to do if you find yourself already dealing with them.

How Do I Know If My Pain Is Caused By My Joints?

Joint pain can look very different based on a variety of factors- age, family history, medical history, and more. Generally though, joint pain can appear as one or many of the following:

• Joint redness
• Joint Sensitivity
• Joint Weakness
• Joint Swelling
• Limping
• Locking of the Joint
• Loss of Mobility
• Joint Stiffness 
• General Hip Pain
• General Knee Pain

Of course, only a medical professional can diagnose your pain as a joint problem, so find your nearest orthopaedic or joint replacement specialist if you think your pain could be related to a joint problem. 

Habits for Healthy Joints

Experiencing one or many of these symptoms is uncomfortable at best, and excruciatingly painful at worst. Identifying your joint pain can help you seek conservative treatment, and if necessary, more invasive care. However, preventative care is always the first defense against joint injury and deterioration. Below are a few easily implemented habits that can help save your joint health.

• Weight Control: Obesity is a massive strain on your body’s entire infrastructure. Keeping your weight at a healthy number is a great way to lessen the burden your joints hold.
• Exercise and Stretching: Exercise (especially weight or resistance training) creates tiny tears and injuries to your muscle and bone, forcing it to rebuild itself back stronger. This is a fantastic way of decreasing stiffness in your body and building bone strength.
• Footwear and Other Equipment: Wearing the proper, supportive gear for whatever activity you partake in is vital to eliminating excess strain on your bones and joints. Shoes should support and stabilize your ankles and feet. For example, runners should wear quality, supportive shoes designed to cushion your feet upon impact and during standing. Similarly, those with jobs that require long standing hours should wear equally supportive shoes that fit properly. 

This is by no means an exhaustive list, and even after taking precautions, joint pain can still happen. But, just because you couldn’t prevent it, doesn’t mean you can’t treat it. 

How to Treat Mild Joint Pain

If you find yourself experiencing very mild or occasional joint pain, there are some simple solutions that may help relieve or eliminate the discomfort. 

• Using heat/ice: Using a heat pad or taking a warm shower is an easy way to loosen a joint or relax a stiff muscle. 
• Stretching: While very simple, stretching is a great way to loosen muscles and joints, while also stretching and lengthening them. Stretching can help prevent loss of motion in some joints like the ability to straighten your arm
• Shoe insoles: Your feet can be a pain point for many of your joints and bones –ankles, knees, back, neck, and others. Using proper insoles or buying shoes with cushion and support can alleviate the strain your body is experiencing when compensating for pain when walking.
• Moving the Joint: While it seems obvious, simply moving your joint (even though it may be painful) can stop the pain and deterioration from developing further. Making it a daily habit to straighten your arms, move your hips, and bend your knees can make drastic changes.

Once again, this list isn’t extensive, and visiting a joint specialist is the best way to efficiently and effectively find a solution to your pain. 

When Should I See A Joint Replacement Specialist?

Unfortunately, even with preventative measures and conservative solutions, mild joint pain can deteriorate into chronic pain, affecting your daily activities and sometimes hindering them completely. Going to a professional is a great way to get some help with your joint issues. Different sports medicine doctors and therapists can help you to get back to your life without the need for a surgery. Physical Therapists can help you create a stretching and exercise plan that can ease the pain around your joints, increase mobility, and strengthen the surrounding muscles. A Sports Medicine Physician may also be able to help you in your journey to managing your pain. A total joint replacement is often the last line of resort when a patient has a serious issue, but they can be some of the most pain relieving and overall beneficial. Joint replacement specialists are surgeons who specialize in assessing joint injuries and performing surgery to remedy the issue. They may also perform arthroscopies- a more minimal surgery performed to remedy issues with bones and joints. A joint replacement or surgery may be your best option if all other forms of treatment haven’t worked for you; you and your doctor will have to consult and decide if this is the best option for your individualized issue. 

What Joint Replacement Specialist Should I See?

At Orthopaedic Associates, our physicians and surgeons are highly skilled and specialize in a variety of areas, including joint replacement and sports medicine. With their expertise, we’ll be able to place you with a doctor and provide a care plan. With several locations around the Evansville, Newburgh, and Henderson areas, one of our orthopaedic specialists can help you get back to your lifestyle. 

Visit us at one of our locations:

 515 Read St Evansville, IN 47710

10455 Orthopaedic Dr Newburgh, IN 47630

5828 Pearl Dr Evansville, IN 47712

340 Starlite Dr Henderson, Ky 42420

Visit the Providers page on our website to read about our physicians, surgeons, and advanced practice providers!

Providers - Orthopaedic Associates, Inc: Orthopaedics Evansville, IN & Henderson, KY (oaevansville.com)