Joint pain can limit your mobility and turn simple daily tasks into unexpected challenges. If it persists or worsens, it may begin to undermine your activity levels, ability to sleep, and overall mood. In short, joint pain can be exceptionally difficult to live with.
The good news is that you don’t have to. Whether it’s a product of injury, inflammation, excess body weight, or age-related joint degeneration, you’re not doomed to live with chronic joint pain indefinitely.
As an experienced joint pain expert who takes an integrative approach to wellness, Jennylle Zanzi, FNP-C, offers a full scope of holistic joint pain solutions at RVA Regenerative Wellness in Midlothian, Virginia. Let’s explore some of the most common culprits behind persistent joint pain and what you can do about them.
Also known as wear-and-tear arthritis or degenerative joint disease, osteoarthritis is the most common cause of persistent joint pain. It occurs when the smooth cartilage that cushions and protects your joints gradually breaks down, causing irregular motion and painful inflammation.
While osteoarthritis can damage any joint, it tends to affect the knee and hip joints most often.
Weight loss, regular exercise, and physical therapy make a world of difference if you’re living with osteoarthritis-related joint pain. If you still find yourself turning to pain relievers more often than you’d like, platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy can help.
Using a highly concentrated serum derived from a small sample of your own blood, PRP therapy floods a damaged joint with reparative growth factors that ease inflammation, alleviate pain, and foster healing.
Tendon injuries — ranging from overuse-induced inflammation to traumatic tears — are also a top cause of joint pain. Tendons are strong cords of fibrous tissue that connect your muscles to your bones to facilitate proper joint movement.
Common tendon problems that can trigger ongoing joint pain and stiffness include Achilles tendonitis, tennis elbow, and rotator cuff tears.
Most tendon injuries benefit from rest and/or elevation, ice or heat, compression, splinting, and anti-inflammatory pain medication followed by physical therapy. While severe tendon injuries may require surgical repair, PRP therapy can accelerate healing in most other tendon problems.
Ligaments are strong, flexible soft tissues that hold joints together and keep them stable. When a ligament is overstretched or torn (sprained), it causes the affected joint to become swollen and painful.
Ligament sprains typically occur when a joint is forced into an unnatural position, such as when you twist your ankle or knee in an accident.
Mild to moderate ligament sprains can usually be resolved with the RICE method (rest, ice, compression, and elevation) until joint swelling goes down and strength returns. PRP therapy is a safe and easy way to accelerate healing in moderate or persistent ligament sprains.
Bursae are small, fluid-filled sacs that cushion your bones, tendons, and muscles near your joints. Repetitive movement or prolonged positioning that puts pressure on a joint’s bursae can cause them to become swollen and inflamed, triggering a painful joint condition called bursitis.
Bursitis most commonly affects the shoulder, elbow, and hip joints, but it can affect knee and toe joints, too.
Rest is the primary treatment recommendation for sore, stiff joints caused by bursitis. Heat and over-the-counter pain relievers can help ease ongoing discomfort. While immobilizing the joint with a splint or brace can facilitate a quicker recovery, PRP therapy can help accelerate healing around the affected joint at the cellular level.
Carrying even a moderate amount of excess weight places more stress and strain on all your joints, especially your load-bearing joints (lumbar spine, hips, knees, ankles, and toes). Being just 10 pounds overweight puts 30-60 pounds of additional pressure on your knees with every step you take.
Being overweight can cause joint pain, and if you already have a chronic joint condition like arthritis, excess weight can make your joint pain that much worse.
Successful weight loss isn’t always easy, but for many people, it’s key to attaining long-lasting joint pain relief. If you’d like to lose weight but you’re not sure where to start, we can help. Our comprehensive weight loss management approach meets you exactly where you’re at, and gives you the tools and support you need to reach your goals.
Along the way, you may gain additional anti-inflammatory or metabolism-boosting benefits from complementary treatments like detoxification or IV therapy.
No matter what the underlying cause of your joint pain happens to be, chances are we can help. Don’t let joint pain rule your life. Call 786-971-0914 today, or click online to schedule an appointment at RVA Regenerative Wellness in Midlothian, Virginia.
