JOINT PAIN /STIFNESS

“Joint Pain?
Relax. I’m here to help”
“Doctor, for the last 3 years I have pain in my knee joint.”  Taken lots of allopathy medicine with short term relief. Joint  pain is a common complaint I hear in my practice.
Sir William Osler, known as the “Father of Modern Medicine,”  once said, “When an arthritis patient walks in the front door, I feel like leaving by the back door.” There is one simple reason that Dr. Osler and many other conventional physicians since him have difficulty facing arthritic patients: there is little that conventional medicine offers them. The lucky ones get temporary relief along with drug side effects; the unlucky ones only get the side effects.

Arthritis is inflammation of one or more joints, which results in pain, swelling, stiffness, and limited movement. Arthritis involves the breakdown of cartilage. Cartilage normally protects the joint, allowing for smooth movement. Cartilage also absorbs shock when pressure is placed on the joint, like when you walk. Without the usual amount of cartilage, the bones rub together, causing pain, swelling (inflammation), and stiffness.
The term arthritis covers more than a hundred different types of joint disease, the most common being rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis:
Inflammatory diseases where the joint tissues are attacked by the bodies own defenses. Symptoms are shifting attack on one or more joints at a time, frequently settling on the fingers, swelling and immobility.

Osteoarthritis:
Degeneration of the joints that is due to most use or stress over the years.  the knees, big toes, spine, and end joints of the fingers are common sites of complaint.  It is caused by the disintegration of the cartilage that covers the ends of the bone, which leaves roughened surfaces and results in stiffness and pain.

Risk factors for osteoarthritis include:
•Being overweight
•Previously injuring the affected joint
•Using the affected joint in a repetitive action that puts stress on the joint (baseball players, ballet dancers, and construction workers are all at risk)

Most common causes are:
An autoimmune disease (the body attacks itself because the immune system believes a body part is foreign)
Broken bone
General “wear and tear” on joints
Infection (usually caused by bacteria or viruses)
If you have arthritis, you may experience:
Joint pain and swelling
Reduced ability to move the joint
Redness of the skin around a joint
Stiffness, especially in the morning
Warmth around a joint

The purpose of taking allopathic medicine is to suppress the symptoms one is experiencing, not necessarily to cure, or heal the condition. Long term life regimens of drug taking are encouraged, which often leads to higher incidence of side effects.Anti-inflammatory medicines like aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen are widely used for pain relief. However, if  they are used for a long time,  they may cause ulcers, bleeding, heart attacks and strokes. Most medicines now carry a warning label. Disease modifying drugs and biologic response modifiers are used for treating severe rheumatoid arthritis.
Homeopathic medicine is natural pharmaceutical system that uses extremely small doses of substances from the plant, mineral, or animal kingdom to augment a person’s own immune and defense system. Based on the “principle of similars,”
The homeopathic remedy thus aids the body’s own defenses, as compared to conventional drugs which typically treat and often suppress symptoms. A homeopathic medicine is not chosen simply based on the disease a person has but on the individualized symptoms each person has. These natural medicines are known to stimulate a person’s own healing abilities.
A recent review research on homeopathy was published in the British Medical Journal (February 9, 1991, pp. 316-323) and indicated that 81 of 107 controlled studies showed that homeopathic medicines were effective in treating a variety of common ailments. Not all of these studies were adequately controlled, and yet, a still significant number of the high quality studies, 15 of 21, showed that the homeopathic medicines were effective
Homeopathic Medicine and Arthritis
Arthritis is one area in which there are several studies which have shown that homeopathic medicines are efficacious. Because homeopathic medicines need to be individually prescribed to the unique pattern of symptoms that sick people experience. few of these symptoms which can be cured by homoeopathy  are as follows

1. Stabbing pain that is better when absolutely still, worse on
Movement and in dry cold weather, and is relieved by pressure being applied and lying on the affected part. Knees stiff and painful. Joints red, swollen, hot, with stitches and tearing.

2. Joint pain made worse by heat and warm rooms. Shifting from one part of the body to another. Drawing, tensive pain in thighs and legs, with restlessness, sleeplessness, and chilliness. suffering worse from letting the affected limb hang down.

3. Stiffness and pain with cold, numb feeling, worse any change of weather. Buttocks back and limbs asleep. Pains in joints and bones, weary when going upstairs.

4. Dull, tearing pain with Heaviness and weakness in the arms and joints.
Unsteadiness of muscles of forearm. Numbness loss of sensation in hand, Unsteady walking and easily falling. Restless legs at night.
Cracking and tension in knees. stiffness in hollow of knee.

5. Aches and pains that are worse at night, Very sensitive to cold. Trembling extremities, especially hands. Offensive sweat and a foul taste in the mouth in the morning.

6. Great fear of being touched or approached.  Everything on which  lies seems too hard. Deathly coldness of forearm. Cannot walk erect, on account of bruised pain in pelvic region. Rheumatism begins low down and works up.

7. Rheumatic pains; worse in morning. Patient feels they must move, but feels no better when they do. Shooting pain in right shoulder, with stiffness and inability to raise arm. Pains fly like electric shock , shifting rapidly. Aching of heels, relieved by elevating feet.

8. Pain and stiffness that is worse in cold, damp weather, especially after becoming overheated, Or becoming cold, or when the weather changes from warm to cold. Condition is somewhat improved by moving about.
Perspiration on palms of hands, Rheumatism alternates with diarrhea.
Rheumatic symptoms after acute skin eruptions.

9. Pain and numbness with creaking of the joints, Arms and legs especially knees feel weak. Pain in back, with desire for some firm support. Ankles weak and turn easily, Painful contraction of hamstrings.

10. Pain in the joints, especially the larger ones, where the tendons meet the bone, condition is improved by warmth. Complaints from straining. Legs give out on rising from a chair Tendency to the formation of deposits in the periosteum, tendons, and about joints, especially wrist. Contraction of fingers. Pain and stiffness in wrists and hands. Hamstrings feel shortened, thighs pain when stretching the limb.

11. Wandering pains in the muscles and joints that are better from motion and warmth and worse at night. The person may experience deep pain in the limbs when trying to sleep. Also may feel discomfort that may wake the person up. Often serious and focused on work or career, with a tendency to feel depressed.

12. Stiffness and inflammation with tearing or throbbing pain, made worse by motion. The condition may have developed gradually, and is worse in cold dry weather. Discomfort is worse by being touched or bumped, or from any movement. Relief can be had from pressure and from rest. The person may want to stay completely still and not be interfered with.

13. Deeply aching arthritis involving node formation around the joints. Inflammation and soreness are worse from cold and dampness, and problems may be focused on the knees and hands. Common symptoms are: weakness in the muscles, easy fatigue from exertion, and a feeling of chilliness or sluggishness. The person is often solid and responsible, but tends to become extremely anxious and overwhelmed when ill or overworked.

14. Deformities develop in the joints, in a person with a tendency toward tendon problems, muscle weakness, and contractures. The hands and fingers may be most affected, although other joints can also be involved. Stiffness and pain are worse from being cold, and relief may come with warmth. The person often feels best in rainy weather and worse when the days are clear and dry.

15. Arthritic pains improve with heat and motion. Joints become enlarged and hard, and nodes or deformities develop. Arthritis after chronic injury to joints.

16. Arthritis flares up during cold damp weather. The person gets chilled and wet. They are often stout, with a tendency toward back pain, chronic stiffness in the muscles, and allergies.

17. Arthritic pains alternate with asthma or stomach symptoms. Pains may suddenly come and go, or shift around. Discomfort and inflammation are worse by heat and worse when the weather is warm.

18. Arthritis with great stiffness and stitching pains, worse in the early morning hours and worse from cold and dampness. The joints may be becoming thickened or deformed. People who can benefit from this remedy often have a rigid moral code, and tend to feel anxiety in the stomach.

19. Intense arthritic pain that flares up suddenly. The problems start in higher joints and extend to lower ones. Pain and inflammation may begin in the elbows, spreading downward to the wrists and hands. Discomfort is worse from motion and often worse at night.

20. Arthritis starts in lower joints and extends to higher ones. Pain and inflammation often begin in the toes and spread upward to the ankles and knees. The joints may also make cracking sounds swelling relieved by cold applications.

21. Rheumatoid arthritis pain is changeable in quality, or when the flare-ups move from place to place. The symptoms (and the person) feel worse from warmth, and better from fresh air and cold applications. Can benefit people who are emotional and affectionate, sometimes having teary moods.

22. Swelling and soreness flare up before a storm, continuing until the weather clears. Worse by Cold and dampness. Discomfort is often worse toward early morning, or after staying still too long.

23. Rheumatoid arthritis, with pain and stiffness that is worse in the morning and worse on first motion, but better from continued movement. Hot baths or showers, and warm applications improve the stiffness and relieve the pain. The condition is worse in cold, wet weather. The person may feel extremely restless, unable to find a comfortable position, and need to keep moving constantly. Continued motion also helps to relieve anxiety.

24. Arthritis with a feeling of great stiffness and lameness, worse from cold and damp and worse from exertion, Tendons and capsules of the joints can be deeply affected or damaged. The arthritis may have developed after overuse, from repeated wear and tear.

25. Pain and stiffness, often brought on by cold and damp and improved by heat. Pains are worse on initial movement, especially in the morning, better motion limb stiff, the cold fresh air is not tolerated; it makes the skin painful. Numbness and formication, after overwork.
Loss of power in forearm and fingers with crawling sensation in the tips of fingers.