Arthralgia () literally means '
joint
A joint or articulation (or articular surface) is the connection made between bones, ossicles, or other hard structures in the body which link an animal's skeletal system into a functional whole.Saladin, Ken. Anatomy & Physiology. 7th ed. McGraw- ...
pain
Pain is a distressing feeling often caused by intense or damaging Stimulus (physiology), stimuli. The International Association for the Study of Pain defines pain as "an unpleasant sense, sensory and emotional experience associated with, or res ...
'.
Specifically, arthralgia is a symptom of
injury
Injury is physiological damage to the living tissue of any organism, whether in humans, in other animals, or in plants.
Injuries can be caused in many ways, including mechanically with penetration by sharp objects such as teeth or with ...
,
infection
An infection is the invasion of tissue (biology), tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host (biology), host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmis ...
,
illness (in particular
arthritis), or an
allergic reaction
Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, are various conditions caused by hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include Allergic rhinitis, hay fever, Food allergy, food al ...
to
medication
Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to medical diagnosis, diagnose, cure, treat, or preventive medicine, prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmaco ...
.
According to
MeSH, the term ''arthralgia'' should only be used when the condition is non-inflammatory, and the term ''arthritis'' should be used when the condition is
inflammatory.
Causes
The causes of ''arthralgia'' are varied and range, from a joints perspective, from degenerative and destructive processes such as
osteoarthritis and sports injuries to inflammation of tissues surrounding the joints, such as
bursitis.
These might be triggered by other things, such as infections or vaccinations.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis involves interviewing the patient and performing
physical exams. When attempting to establish the cause of the arthralgia, the emphasis is on the interview.
The patient is asked questions intended to narrow the number of potential causes. Given the varied nature of these possible causes, some questions may seem irrelevant. For example, the patient may be asked about
dry mouth,
light sensitivity,
rashes or a history of
seizures.
Answering yes or no to any of these questions limits the number of possible causes and guides the physician toward the appropriate exams and lab tests.
Treatment
Treatment depends on a specific underlying cause. The underlying cause will be treated first and foremost. The treatments may include
joint replacement surgery for severely damaged joints,
immunosuppressants for immune system dysfunction, antibiotics when an infection is the cause, and discontinuing medication when an allergic reaction is the cause. When treating the primary cause, pain management may still play a role in treatment.
See also
*
Antiarthritics
*
Myalgia
References
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Rheumatology