Our Services / Joint Pain

What is joint pain?

Joint pain is a symptom of joint damage, which can occur for various reasons. Your joints are made up of ligaments, tendons, bones, muscles, and cartilage. 

Examples of joints include your shoulders, elbows, wrists, spine, hips, knees, and ankles. Your fingers also contain joints. Dr. Kumar offers a variety of pain treatments to relieve joint discomfort.

What are the symptoms of joint problems?

Common symptoms you could experience because of joint problems include:

• Stiffness
• Swelling
• Bruising
• Redness
• Warmth
• Limited mobility 
• Popping or crunching sounds
• Joint discomfort
• Reduced range of motion

Joint pain could be mild or severe and debilitating. It may indicate joint damage that gets worse over time if left untreated. 

What are the risk factors for joint pain?

Joint pain is a common problem and can happen to anyone, but some factors increase your risk. Examples include:

• Strains
• Sprains
• Tendinitis
• Arthritis
• Gout 
• Osteoporosis
• Older age
• Fractures
• Cancer
• Joint inflammation
• Complex regional pain syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
• Lupus
• Thyroid problems
• Excess body weight
• Older age
• Previous joint injuries

You might have joint pain after a sports injury, age-related wear-and-tear, falling down, getting injured at work, or being in a car accident.

How does my provider diagnose the cause of joint pain?

Dr. Kumar reviews your symptoms and medical history to find the root cause of joint pain and treat it. He examines painful joints and assess their function and range of motion. Dr. Kumar could recommend undergoing X-rays, ultrasound, CT scans, MRIs, or other imaging procedures. 

What are common joint pain treatments?

Common joint pain treatments available for your knees, hips, shoulders, or other joints include:

Home remedies
Weight management, healthy eating, rest, ice packs, heat packs, elevation, and compression are steps you can take at home to relieve joint pain. Wearing a brace can help, too.

Physical therapy
Stretching and performing injury-specific exercises are ways to strengthen damaged joint tissues, speed up healing, and reduce the risk of reinjury.

Medications
Taking medications can reduce inflammation, pain, or underlying causes of joint discomfort.

Injections
Injections help regenerate damaged cells, speed up healing, and reduce inflammation and pain. Some injections can lubricate your joints for pain relief. 

Electrical nerve stimulation
Nerve stimulation at Spine & Pain Specialists uses noninvasive electrical energy to reduce pain signals to your brain.

Surgery
If you have significant joint damage, Dr. Kumar could suggest undergoing surgery to repair tissue damage or replace damaged joints.

Don’t live with joint pain when you don’t have to. Schedule an appointment with Spine & Pain Specialists of the Carolinas by phone or online today.