JOINT PAIN

JOINT PAIN - Joint pain can range from mildly irritating to debilitating. It may go away after a few weeks (acute), or last for several weeks or months (chronic). Even short-term pain and swelling in the joints can affect your quality of life. Joint Pain is extremely common. In one national survey, about one-third of adults reported having joint pain within the past 30 days. Knee Pain was the most common complaint, followed by shoulder and hip pain, but joint pain can affect any part of your body, from your ankles and feet to your shoulders and hands. As you get older, painful joints become increasingly more common. Joint pain can be caused by injury affecting any of the ligaments, bursae, or tendons surrounding the joint. Injury can also affect the ligaments, cartilage, and bones within the joint.

Symptoms and signs associated with joint pain can include:

• joint swelling,
• joint tenderness,
• joint warmth,
• locking of the joint,
• loss of range of motion of the joint,
• stiffness,
• joint redness
• weakness
• limping

 Joint pain can be aggravated by motion, pressure, or weight-bearing resistance with activity. Joint pain can be associated with local warmth, swelling, and tenderness. Joint pain can be caused by injury or disease of the joint or adjacent tissues. A joint is the area at which two bone ends meet to provide motion to a body part. A typical joint is composed of bones that are separated by cartilage that serves as cushioning pad for the adjacent bones. Ligaments attach bone to bone around the joint. Bursae are fluid-filled sacs that provide a gliding surface for adjacent tendons. Tendons attach muscle to bone around the joint. Injury or disease to any of the structures of the joint can lead to pain in the joint. Joint pain is also referred to as arthralgia.

JERSEY FINGER

JERSEY FINGER - Jersey Finger represents rupture of the Flexor Digitorum Profundus. This usually happens when an athlete grabbing an opponent's shirt undergoes forced extension of the DIP while it is flexed. For this reason, it is called "grasping jersey finger" or "rugby finger". The ring finger is involved more often. The rupture of the FDP tendon from its insertion on the distal phalanx known as Jersey Finger is often misdiagnosed as a sprained or jammed finger, as there is no characteristic deformity associated with it.

The injury is typically caused by forceful passive extension while the flexor digitorum profundus muscle is contracting. A common example is in football when the flexed finger is caught in a jersey while the athlete is attempting to make a tackle; hence the term jersey finger.Jersey finger symptoms include pain in the finger tip and inability to bend the finger normally although it can still be forced into a bended position. Tenderness on the pad of the finger will be present along with swelling and bruising which may develop later in the finger tip. It may be possible to feel the tendon as a bunched up soft mass on the palm side of the hand.

• A pop or rip felt in the finger at the time of the injury
• Tenderness, swelling and warmth of the injured finger
• Pain when moving the injured finger and the inability to bend the last joint
• Occasionally a lump felt in the palm of the finger
• Bruising after 48 hours

IT BAND SYNDROME

IT BAND SYNDROME - Iliotibial band syndrome is one of the leading causes of lateral knee pain in runners. The iliotibial band is a thick band of fascia on the lateral aspect of the knee, extending from the outside of the pelvis, over the hip and knee, and inserting just below the knee. The band is crucial to stabilizing the knee during running, as it moves from behind the femur to the front of the femur during activity. The continual rubbing of the band over the lateral femoral epicondyle, combined with the repeated flexion and extension of the knee during running may cause the area to become inflamed. The iliotibial band is a thick band that begins at the iliac crest in the pelvis, runs down the lateral part of the thigh, and crosses the knee to attach into the top part of the tibia or shinbone. The iliotibial (IT) band helps stabilize the outside part of the knee through its range of motion. Iliotibial band syndrome is the most common cause of lateral knee pain in runners and bicyclists.

Prevention that includes maintaining flexibility and strength of the low back, hips, knees, and leg muscles is key to avoiding recurrence. Inflammation of the iliotibial band can occur as it travels back and forth, crossing the bony prominence of the femoral epicondyle as the knee flexes and extends. The iliotibial band runs along the lateral or outside aspect of the thigh, from the pelvis to the tibia, crossing both the hip and knee joints. The iliotibial band is an important stabilizer structure of the lateral part of the knee as the joint flexes and extends.

 Pain may be felt when bending and straightening the knee which may be made worse by pressing in at the side of the knee over the sore part. There might be tightness in the iliotibial band which runs down the outside of the thigh. Weakness in hip abduction or moving the leg out sideways is another common sign. Tender trigger points in the gluteal muscles or buttocks area may also be present.

HERNIATED DISK

HERNIATED DISK - A herniated disk refers to a problem with one of the rubbery cushions (disks) between the individual bones (vertebrae) that stack up to make your spine. A spinal disk is a little like a jelly donut, with a softer center encased within a tougher exterior. Sometimes called a slipped disk or a ruptured disk, a herniated disk occurs when some of the softer "jelly" pushes out through a crack in the tougher exterior. A herniated disk can irritate nearby nerves and result in pain, numbness or weakness in an arm or leg. On the other hand, many people experience no symptoms from a herniated disk. There are many terms used to describe spinal disc pathology and associated pain, such as "herniated disc," "pinched nerve," and "bulging disc," and all are used differently and, at times, interchangeably.

Herniated disc facts

• The discs are pads that serve as "cushions" between the vertebral bodies, which minimize the impact of movement on the spinal column.
• Each disc is designed like a jelly donut with a central softer component (nucleus pulposus).
• Abnormal rupture of the central portion of the disc is referred to as a disc herniation.
• The most common location for a herniated disc to occur is in the disc at the level between the fourth and fifth lumbar vertebrae in the low back.

Sometimes called a slipped or ruptured disk, a herniated disk most often occurs in your lower back. It is one of the most common causes of low back pain, as well as leg pain (sciatica). Between 60% and 80% of people will experience low back pain at some point in their lives. A high percentage of people will have low back and leg pain caused by a herniated disk. Although a herniated disk can sometimes be very painful, most people feel much better with just a few weeks or months.