Vim & Vigor - Spring 2020 - UVA - 22

22

Persistence is worth it. Understanding the source of your joint
pain will make it easier to come
up with a treatment plan that
really works.
Feeling achy? Here's what to know.

Why Joints Are Prone
to Aches and Pains

Because joints help keep the body
in motion and are constantly in
use, they are prone to damage.
Pain within the joints of the back,
knees, hips, ankles and hands is
often due to osteoarthritis caused
by deteriorating cartilage (the padding between bones). Other times,
an injury or even persistent bad
posture can lead to chronic pain or
cause a sprain (a stretch or a tear
in the ligament that connects the
bones at the joint).
"You could have joint pain in
any joint in the body for a variety
of reasons, so it's not always easy to
understand the pain," says Sanjeev
Bhatia, MD, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and consulting team
physician for the U.S. Ski Team.
Pain can come from multiple
parts of the joint, including ligaments that connect to the bones to
form a joint, tendons that connect
the joint to the muscle to help
keep bones in place, cartilage that
reduces the friction in the joint and
fluid-filled sacks called bursas that
provide cushion, Bhatia says.

When Acute Injury
Is the Culprit

If joint pain comes on suddenly,
a timely doctor visit is critical.
Whether you strained your elbow
on the tennis court or pulled your
back after a car accident, a sudden
injury can develop into joint pain
that may be harder to treat down
the line.
"If it's an acute injury, it's usually
a good idea to get diagnosed early,"
Bhatia says.
SPRING 2020 VIM & VIGOR

The First
Question
Your Doctor
Will Ask

Distinguishing between
pain that occurs outside
of the joint (i.e., extraarticular) from pain that
occurs within the joint (i.e.,
intra-articular) can help
inform your diagnosis and
what you need to do to feel
better, says Sanjeev Bhatia,
MD, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and consulting team physician for the
U.S. Ski Team. "Asking that
question of where the pain
is coming from is always
where we start."
For example, bursitis
and hip abductor tears are
considered extra-articular
because they occur outside
the joint and often show
that there's an issue with
the structure. If not treated,
extra-articular pain can
result in chronic pain that
may require surgery.
Intra-articular pain is
caused by something from
within the joint, such as a
loss of cartilage for those
with osteoarthritis. In many
instances, Dr. Bhatia says,
intra-articular causes of
pain can result in further
damage as we age and may
require a joint replacement
down the line.

Where
Does
It Hurt?

An orthopedic expert can
work with you to determine
the source of your pain.
Find care to help you move
and feel better from a team
ranked among the nation's
top 10 percent. Go to
uvahealth.com/ortho.

Much of the time, sudden-onset
joint pain will go away in weeks with
proper conservative care, including
physical therapy, anti-inflammatory
medication, like ibuprofen, and rest.
Ignoring the pain can make it linger
or cause additional damage.
Many acute injuries can resolve
without the need for surgery, Bhatia
says. "The first-line treatment is a
physical therapy program. That's
always where we start. Then we look
at injections and medications."

To Test or Not to Test

Imaging tests can help providers
diagnose some types of joint pain.
For instance, a simple X-ray can
be beneficial to better understand
whether cartilage has degenerated, says David Konstant, DPT,
a physical therapist and member
of the American Physical Therapy
Association. Additionally, an MRI
can give a more detailed picture
of some types of abnormalities or
disease. But while the source of
arthritis-related pain is often visible
on these images, a strain may be
harder to spot, he adds.
http://www.uvahealth.com/ortho
Vim & Vigor - Spring 2020 - UVA

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Spring 2020 - UVA
