Why you shouldn’t ignore joint pain

Narayan, a 68-year-old resident from Banaras, was experiencing pain and weakness in both his lower limbs for the past few months. He visited a local doctor in Banaras, who confirmed that he had a serious Arthritis problem and that he needed knee joint therapy. As days progressed, Narayan was unable to walk and became wheelchair-bound. When things weren’t getting better for him, Narayan sought advice from an orthopaedic surgeon in Mumbai.

When he was brought to Mumbai for further investigation, his spinal MRI confirmed that he had a 3.2-centimeter tumour that pressed his nerve roots. This would have eventually left him paralysed! Given his age and complexity of the area in which the tumour rested, an image-guided interventional surgery was done to ensure the safety of the patient. If measures weren’t taken on time, Narayan would be unable to walk for the rest of this life; all emerging from joint pain.

These are stories that teach us important lessons, of how significant the matter of health is. They also highlight the consequence of delayed interventions and the need for proper medical aid at the right time. Be it joint pain, weakness in a limb or persistent cough, seeking medical aid is necessary and more importantly ignoring symptoms could be extremely dangerous.

Don't ignore signs and symptoms

Serious illness does not go away by itself, and with a lot of medical issues, the earlier you get treatment, the better are your chances for a positive outcome. Many times, pain is one of the first symptoms of a problem. Of course there are several other things that may trigger you to seek medical care, including:

Pain that wakes you up at night or keeps you awake at night

Swelling and redness in a joint

Warmth and feeling of having a fever

Stiffness in the morning that takes hours to wear off

Discomfort that changes your normal routine

Fever

Moreover, if you experience joint pain with a fever or rash and mouth sores. This can be a sign of an underlying disease or infection that you don't want to ignore.

Sometimes, joint pain can be the beginning of an emergent condition called Septic Arthritis. This condition starts as an infection in your joint and can disrupt your quality of life forever. With such conditions, bacteria overtake the joint and can cause bone and cartilage damage. If left untreated, it can cause permanent disability or more seriously, septic shock.

What should you do?

Here is what you can do:

Call your nearest doctor or your family physician

Visit a nearby walk-in clinic

Do not depend on the information you get on the internet

If symptoms are serious, visit the Emergency Room of the nearest hospital

(The writer is Consultant, Neurosurgery at a network of hospitals in Maharashtra)