What a Pain! Joint and Connective Tissue Disorders

Pain is pain and we want to be free from it, no matter the source of it. So often we are quick to treat the pain without taking the time to distinguish the cause. Knowing the cause of some pains can prevent unnecessary medication, mistreatment and prolonged aches and discomfort.

When dealing with joint and connective tissue disorders, the most common causes of pain are due to inflammation, swelling and inflexibility of the joints. When the inflammation is chronic, it inhibits the body's natural ability to heal and maintain joint and connective tissue health. When the joints are swollen and sore, the necessary nutrients needed by the joints to maintain synovial fluid have a hard time penetrating through the inflammation and entering into the cells of the joint tissue.

Examples of joint and connective tissue disorders that cause inflammation of joints include the following:

* Osteoarthritis
* Rheumatoid arthritis
* Lupus
* Gout
* Fibromyalgia

Commonly, suffers of joint arthritis pain, lupus and gout pain try to find relief with over the counter medicines, typically containing acetaminophen. While these products can provide temporary relief, they are usually associated with a variety of side effects such as gastrointestinal issues, dependency and cardiac risks. While these medicines can offer temporary relief, they are only helping to reduce a symptom of the inflammation and momentarily reduce the pain. Many suffers of joint arthritis pain, lupus and gout pain are seeking pain management that comes without so many possible negative effects and works to resolve the cause of the aches, stiffness and inflexibility.

Joint arthritis pain and other connective tissue disorder sufferers are seeking alternative products and dietary supplements to provide relief and hopefully offer pain management that can resolve the cause. While dietary supplements aren't medicines, the natural minerals, nutrients and ingredients replicate the natural healing process of the body. For instance, a combination of chrondroitin, glucosamine and hyaluronic acid has been used in clinical studies for the treatment of pain associated with osteoarthritis of the knee.

These ingredients naturally occur in the body and are needed for healthy joint and connective tissue maintenance. However, there is a catch 22: when joints undergo persistent damage and they need chrondroitin and glucosamine the most, the damage inhibits the production and absorption of these healing ingredients. Researchers have high hopes for supplementation with these ingredients, not only for joint pain relief but also for the possible repair of joint and connective tissue. Studies have not only shown a reduction in pain and an increase in flexibility, they also show improved activity of the cellular membrane in the joints, which hints at the possibility of repair and rebuilding of damaged connective tissue.

While pain management is possible, there are now more natural options to find relief from joint arthritis pain and pain caused by connective tissue disorders. However, with continued study and more research, we might find that there are possibilities beyond just pain management; such studies may prove to find solutions for the actual repair of worn and damaged joints and connective tissue.