It is a common fact that people with arthritis say that they feel achy. Now the question is, Are they experiencing bone pain, or is it joint pain?
Causes of Bone Pain
Bone pain is less common as compared to joint pain or muscle pain. Significant causes of bone pain are injury, traumatic injury that causes a fracture. Bone pain can also occur due to bone cancer.
Bone pain associated with such conditions can be fatigue.
Distinguishing between Bone pain and joint pain
Bone pain tends to be localised and is often describes as sharp pain, mainly when associated with fracture. The sensation produced by cancer has been described as similar to fractured bone.
Joint pain is limited to the affected area of the joint. Sometimes joint pain can be sharp and intense when cartilage is completely worn away or eroded, and the condition is described as a bone on bone. However, pain in joints can be worsened with overuse and activities.
What Causes the Bone Pain?
Injury
Severe injury is a common cause of bone pain. Commonly, this pain arises when a person goes through trauma, such as a fall or road accident. This brutal impact can break the bones or can cause a fracture. Any internal or external damage to the bone can cause bone pain.
Mineral deficiency
To make your bone strengthen, you need a variety of minerals and vitamins including calcium in enough amounts. A deficiency can lead you to osteoporosis, which is the most common type of bone diseases.
Metastatic cancer
This is a type of cancer that can occur in any organ of the body, usually is commonly spread to the bones.
Bone cancer
The disease, like sickle cell anaemia, interferes with the blood supply to the bone. In this, bone tissues begin to die. This causes significant bone pain and weakens the bone.
Infection
If an infection in bones, it can cause a severe condition, in a medical term known as osteomyelitis. This infection can kill bone cells, and cause bone pain.
Leukaemia
The leukaemia is cancer of the bone marrow. Bone marrow is found usually in most bones and is responsible for the production of bone cells. People infected by leukaemia often experience bone pain, especially in legs.
Symptoms
The most common and noticeable symptoms of bone pain are discomfort when still or moving.
- Injury – swelling, visible deformities, and grinding noise upon injury
- Osteoporosis – loss of height over time, Back pain
- Metastatic cancer – chest pain, headache, jaundice
- Mineral deficiency – Pain in muscle and tissues
- Infection – nausea, decrease the range of motion, loss of appetite
- Leukaemia – shortness of breath, pale skin, fatigue
- Disrupted blood supply
Treatment of Bone Pain
Pain relievers
Pain relievers are the most common medication prescribed to reduce the effect of bone pain. However, the pain relievers don’t cure the underlying condition.
If you experience chronic bone pain, you can buy codeine online. This medication is mainly used as a relaxant and will reduce the tension in the muscles and pain in bones. If your pain is getting worse, then you should seek medical attention immediately.
Antibiotic
If you have an infection in the bone, the doctor may prescribe a powerful antibiotic to kill the germs that causing the trouble.
Nutritional Supplement
People, who have osteoporosis or simply deficiency of mineral, need to restore their calcium and vitamin levels. Your doctor may give you nutritional supplements to treat the lack of minerals.