Symptoms of Edema & Joint Pain

Joint pain and edema are separate things, but often times they accompany each other. These painful conditions can be caused by several different underlying diseases or illnesses, and, while sometimes severe, are often very easy to treat.

Symptoms of Edema

• Symptoms of edema include swelling of the subcutaneous tissue (tissue under the skin), and stretched-looking or shiny skin. Edema is most noticeable in the arms, hands, legs and feet.

Symptoms of Joint Pain

• Joint pain is often accompanied by swelling and stiffness. Most often, joint pain is actually a symptom of some other underlying disease, rather than an illness in itself.

Shared Symptoms

• Pain in the joints is often accompanied by swelling, because the irritation of the joints can cause subcutaneous fluid leakage. Edema can also cause some stiffness in the wrists and ankles because of the puffiness.

Treatments

• Edema can be caused by many different underlying conditions, but the basic swelling can be easily helped at home by simple actions such as massaging the edemic area, propping the swollen limb up above your heart when resting or sleeping, and exercising the swollen limb. Joint pain can be lessened by putting an icepack on the painful area, and by avoiding overusing the irritated joint.

Warnings

• Pulmonary edema, or edema in the lungs, can be potentially life-threatening. If you are having difficulty breathing or are experiencing chest pain, it may be best to contact your doctor.