Joint Pain

Joint pain is the primary symptom of arthritis, bursitis, and tendinitis. But they’re not the only rheumatic diseases that cause joint discomfort. The experienced team at the Rheumatic Disease Center in Milwaukee and Glendale, Wisconsin, quickly and accurately identifies the source of your joint pain by combining their expertise with the convenience of on-site lab work and diagnostic imaging. If you have joint pain that’s not related to an injury, seek medical help right away. Call the nearest office today or request an appointment online.

What causes joint pain?

You can develop joint pain after a sudden or repetitive injury that damages the structures in and around the joint. But if you don’t suffer an injury, chances are your joint pain is caused by a rheumatic disease. These include:

• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Psoriatic arthritis
• Ankylosing spondylitis
• Sjögren’s syndrome
• Behçet’s disease
• Fibromyalgia
• Sarcoidosis
• Tendinitis
• Bursitis
• Lupus

Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are the most common causes of rheumatic joint pain. Though arthritis develops in your joints, many rheumatic diseases that affect other body areas can also cause joint pain.

What other symptoms accompany joint pain?

The many rheumatic conditions responsible for joint pain cause additional symptoms. Your joint pain can be accompanied by one or more of the following:

• Fatigue
• Inflammation and swelling
• Joint pain and stiffness
• Muscle pain and weakness
• Limited movement
• Skin rashes and sores
• Hardened and thickened skin
• Eye inflammation
• Dry eyes
• Dry mouth
• Abdominal pain
• Difficulty breathing
• Confusion
• Memory loss
• Dry cough
• Chest pain

Anytime you have ongoing joint pain not caused by an injury, seek an evaluation from the Rheumatic Disease Center team. They can accurately diagnose the cause of your pain and begin personalized treatment.

How is joint pain diagnosed?

In addition to the team’s expertise in evaluating your symptoms and completing a thorough physical exam, the Rheumatic Disease Center is fully equipped to perform the diagnostic testing needed to verify the cause of your joint pain. For example, they conveniently do on-site lab testing, X-ray and ultrasound imaging, and bone densitometry to evaluate bone strength.

How is joint pain treated?

Outside of a few exceptions, rheumatic conditions responsible for joint pain are chronic (long-lasting), cause progressive joint damage, and can’t be cured.

For these reasons, your Rheumatic Disease Center provider creates a personalized treatment plan to ease your symptoms, maintain movement, and slow or stop progressive tissue damage.

Your treatment can include:

• Corticosteroids
• Joint injections
• Anti-inflammatory medication
• Topical and oral pain relievers
• Immunosuppressants
• Biologic medication
• Physical therapy
• Dietary changes
• Ultraviolet (UV) light

Starting physical therapy and keeping up with an exercise routine are essential to treating joint pain caused by arthritis.

Call the Rheumatic Disease Center today or request an appointment online to get the treatment you need to relieve joint pain.