Musculoskeletal Symptoms

Musculoskeletal complaints can have many different causes:

Back Pain

Apart from specific diseases or injuries, most people suffer from rather non-specific symptoms. Poor posture or incorrect loading are often responsible for the typical back symptoms. In most cases, there is no cause for concern, as back pain usually resolves within a few days, and at the latest within two weeks.

However, back pain can recur repeatedly. The pain is not limited to any one age group. It also occurs in younger people and may worsen with increasing age. The 30 to 50 age group has to deal with painful episodes particularly frequently. The proportion of women suffering from back pain is significantly higher than that of men of the same age in every age group. Women are considerably more frequently affected, particularly by chronic back pain.

Joint Pain

Is it osteoarthritis, rheumatism, or perhaps gout? Or possibly just bursitis? Joint pain can have many different causes and may occur at various sites. It may affect only a single joint or several joints, only small joints (such as the fingers) or large joints (such as the hip). It may be acute or chronic. Sometimes it occurs only at rest (resting pain) or at night (nocturnal pain).

Overall, joint pain is a common condition; according to estimates, nearly half of all people over the age of 45 suffer from joint pain. If you have restricted mobility in the affected joint, fever, reddened skin over the painful joint, or a severely swollen joint, a visit to us is certainly recommended.

Muscle Pain

You have around 650 muscles distributed throughout your body, each performing a wide variety of functions. If these are placed under excessive strain, muscle pain arises. Sport is also a common cause of muscle pain — this may be the harmless delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS), or strains and contusions resulting from sporting injuries. This type of pain usually subsides relatively quickly. However, if muscle pain occurs without any apparent muscle tension or sports injury, the underlying cause may also be a medical condition.

Posture and Structural Problems

The spinal system has a dynamic structure that enables flexible responses to movement and impact. When viewed from the side, its normal architecture features four curvatures. Even minor deviations from your normal alignment can have serious consequences and trigger complaints.

A significant cause of postural problems is incorrect body posture. If you have worked hard physically for years, or sit for hours at a time — for example at work — this promotes poor posture. Your spine and associated muscles are placed under prolonged, one-sided strain. This can lead to a compensatory posture and cause your muscles to go into spasm.

Over time, this can throw the entire muscular support system of the spine out of balance: in areas of tension, dense muscular tissue builds up, whilst on the opposite side, muscle mass continues to decrease. This consolidates and worsens the postural problem, resulting in structural damage that can no longer be compensated.

Osteoarthritis

Pain and grinding sensations are typical signs of joint wear and tear, also known as osteoarthritis. As symptoms worsen, they can severely restrict your mobility. Osteoarthritis can develop in any joint, but is most common in the knee, hip, or spine. Joint degeneration typically affects older people. Sometimes osteoarthritis can also develop in middle age. In cases of severe, chronic symptoms, joint replacement may become necessary.

Rheumatism

The term rheumatism encompasses many different diseases of the musculoskeletal system, which are frequently associated with pain and restricted movement. The entire musculoskeletal system, as well as internal organs or the body as a whole, may be affected. The exact cause of inflammatory rheumatic diseases is usually unknown. Rheumatism can occur at any age.

Gout

Gout usually develops over several years. The phase in which elevated uric acid levels develop in the blood without symptoms being apparent is referred to as "asymptomatic hyperuricaemia". Over time, sharp, angular uric acid crystals can deposit particularly in joints and the kidneys, causing inflammation.

Osteoporosis

In osteoporosis, the mass, quality, and density of the bones are reduced and their brittleness is increased. Osteoporosis can occur in both women and men of any age, but its frequency increases in older people. Osteoporosis is a silent disease and usually only causes symptoms in advanced stages. Initial signs may include a decrease in height or back pain.

If you regularly experience musculoskeletal complaints, a medical consultation is advisable. Book an appointment directly at one of our avi practices. With the help of a detailed consultation and a physical examination, we will work together to identify the cause and develop an individual treatment plan.