Joint pain is a common problem in patients with neurological diseases. Sometimes the symptoms are so severe that a consultation with a rheumatologist is necessary. Which rheumatological diseases make it necessary to consult or receive care from a specialist?
Table of contents:
Diseases from the musculoskeletal system often give symptoms of joint pain. However, joint pain is not always a symptom of a rheumatological disease. Neurological diseases can also give symptoms of joint pain, which sometimes results in the patient initially going to a rheumatologist, looking for the cause of the complaint.
Multiple sclerosis, Lyme disease
Multiple sclerosis is a progressive disease of the nervous system involving the destruction of neurons, causing progressive disability. The disease is often accompanied by pain, including joint pain. Myofascial pain arises as a result of denervation of the muscles and lack of muscle stimulation, causing abnormalities in the distribution of muscle tone. Lumbar pain is most common, postural defects develop and, through reduced physical activity, osteoporosis can occur.
Joint pain: what causes it?, photo: panthermedia
Lyme disease is an infectious disease caused by ticks. The characteristic symptom associated with Lyme disease is the so-called erythema migrans. However, it does not occur in all patients and the disease can manifest itself with other complaints, such as joint pain, which occurs in the disseminated form of the disease, similar to neuroborreliosis.
Osteoarthritis, RA, AS
Diseases involving the joints, particularly the lumbar region, are often associated with problems resulting from nerve compression causing symptoms. Often patients presenting to their GP after a primary diagnosis are consulted neurologically. Some rheumatological diseases give rise to complaints in the lumbar region, such as AS, RA or osteoarthritis.
Ankylosingspondylitis (AS) is a disease of the joints of the spine, more common in men. It manifests itself initially by a feeling of fatigue, weight loss. A characteristic symptom is pain in the sacro-lumbar region, which often radiates to the groin, knee joints and buttocks. It may also involve other joints, e.g. the knee joint, the ankle joint. Neurological symptoms may also occur in this disease due to subluxation of the atlanto-occipital joint, atlanto-rotational joint or there may be a fracture of the cervical vertebrae.
Rheumatoid diseases, photo: panthermedia
Similarly, with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which causes inflammatory changes in the joints, there may be destructive changes in the atlanto-occipital joint, giving symptoms of numbness, pain radiating to the occiput or limb paresis with spinal cord compression. The disease also affects other joints, particularly the joints of the hands, elbow, ankle, shoulder or hip.
As for osteoarthritis, it is the result of biological and mechanical factors acting on the joints. In addition to joint pain, the characteristic symptom is reduced mobility and inflammatory changes in the joints.
Joint pain: how to treat it?
The treatment depends on the disease that is causing the discomfort. The mainstays of treatment are rehabilitation and exercise to prevent disease progression. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may be used, and sometimes biologics or immunosuppressants are used. Treatment depends on the severity of the disease.
Rheumatoid diseases: treatment, photo: panthermedia
Joint pain is a symptom that can occur in both rheumatological and neurological diseases. They very often require the cooperation of several specialists to guide treatment in order to achieve the best possible course of the disease.
