Common Causes of Chronic Joint Pain

Chronic pain in the joints is a common problem for many people. In fact, it's been estimated that at least one out of every three American adults suffers from some sort of chronic pain in their joints.

Joint pain is generally caused by an inflammation of some kind. Arthritis is possibly the most known about. There are a couple of different types of Arthritis though:

Rheumatoid arthritis is caused from something being wrong with the body's immune system, which causes an inflammation in the joint lining. Osteoarthritis is often caused by working out or weight build too strenuously or incorrectly. With Osteoarthritis, the cartilage covering the ends of your bones deteriorates, and pain is caused from one bone moving against another.

Other medical conditions which cause chronic join pain include Gout, Juvenile arthritis, Spinal arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Bursitis, and Tendonitis.

Since most joint pain problems are caused due to an inflammation of some kind, a common treatment for the pain is to take anti-inflammatory and pain medications such as Motrin, Ibuprofen, or prescription COX 2 inhibitors and NSAIDS. An herbal anti-inflammatory option is White Willow Bark. Keep in mind that these medications treat the symptoms however, not the actual cause of your chronic joint pain problems.

There are several ways you can help reduce the causes of your chronic joint pain however, and if addressed early enough, it might be preventable or eliminated completely.

First you'll need to take a close look at your lifestyle choices. A very common cause of joint pain in the knees for instance, is due to obesity. Carrying a lot of extra body weight will put more strain on your joints and cause chronic pain. So losing even a little bit of weight can help to reduce the joint pain you experience.

If you're on the opposite end of the spectrum and you work out hard and often, this too could be some of the cause for your join pain problems. Many bodybuilders and weight lifters for instance, don't stretch or warm up properly before working out. And many of them don't allow their body time to recuperate, repair and rebuild before their next workout.

Heavy impact style exercising can also cause severe strain on your joints. Step aerobics for instance, or kick boxing, has a jarring effect on your bones and joints which will cause pain. Simply changing to a lower impact style of exercise can help tremendously. Water based exercises are excellent low impact workouts, as is Yoga.

Another simple way to reduce chronic joint pain is to look at other parts of your life. If you're a lady who always wears high heeled shoes, this can cause severe strain on your joints. If you sit at a desk all day and are not using ergonomic solutions for computer use, you'll find yourself with one or more joints constantly hurting. Even sitting in the same position all day, or standing all day can cause chronic joint pain, and these issues can be relieved at least some by simply moving around and changing positions throughout the day.

Last but not least, you need to make sure you're getting the proper amount of vitamins, minerals and supplements each day. Calcium is extremely important for strong bones, and strong bones will help your joints to be strong as well. Omega 3 fatty acids such as those gotten from fish or flax seeds can help your body address and conquer inflammation issues, and glucosamine helps improve joint flexibility, as well as helping to build strong joint cartilage.