Joint Pain

Overwiew

All the joints within the body are richly innervated by nerve endings which can be stimulated by either chemical or mechanical irritation. When joint tissues are stretched or compressed, inflammation can build up within the joints leading to joint pain and stiffness.

People that are most prone to joint pain tend to have joints that are either too tight (hypomobile) or too loose (hypermobile). If you're hypermobile, your ligaments are overstretched and your muscles have to take over the job of stabilizing your joints. If you're hypomobile, your ligaments are too short and tight and you can't seem to stretch very far.

Management

Abnormal joint movement can be addressed with a combination of manipulation, stretching techniques and exercising to strengthen joints. If joint pain is caused by a sudden stretch of the joint tissues and there is localised inflammation, the use of anti-inflammatories can help.