High Blood Pressure and its Painful Effects on Tendons and Joints

High blood pressure, also known in the medical world as "hypertension" has become a major concern in the United States in recent years. Studies indicate that 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. have a heart condition that can be caused by various things such as poor diet and exercise, obesity, old age and even genetics.

Many health problems are associated with hypertension including heart disease, kidney disease, strokes, eye disease, osteoporosis and atherosclerosis. It is the latter of these two effects of high blood pressure that cause problems with a person's joints and tendons.

One of the lesser known effects of high blood pressure is the creation of osteoporosis because when a person's blood pressure rises, the amount of calcium that is released through urine increases. Instead of the calcium going into the bone marrow to make bones stronger, it is excreted and over times bones weaken. Because so much calcium is being lost, people are prone to take calcium supplements. These supplements can in turn wreak havoc on the kidneys causing kidney disease.

The American Heart Association describes atherosclerosis is "the process in which deposits of fatty substances, cholesterol, cellular waste products, calcium and all other substances build up in the inner lining of the artery. This buildup is called plaque."

It is the plaque that forms and hardens in the arteries that can reduce the blood flow through an artery significantly. Because of this loss of oxygen, the tendons in your body will begin cramping. Initially the cramping will appear like a "Charlie Horse" but overtime will become more and more painful. The swollen tendons will continue to become more and more inflamed as more oxygen is removed from the body eventually causing complete deterioration if left untreated. If the blood supply to the arms and legs in reduced enough, walking will become virtually impossible and can become infected with gangrene. Gangrene appendages often need to be removed.

Something most people don't know is that according to an article by Mayo Clinic rheumatologist April Chang, "two large studies suggest that over-the counter arthritis pain medications, such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and aspirin, and increase the risk of high blood pressure". Thus, when your joints and tendon pain flares up and you have the urge to run to the medicine cabinet for short-term pain relief, you may only be making the problem worse in the long run.

High blood pressure runs very strongly in my family. My grandfather passes away from heart disease back before high blood pressure was looked at as a major problem. My uncle had a quadruple bypass before eventually succumbing to a brain aneurysm which was sadly a side effect of taking too many blood pressure medications. Currently, my father battles the day to day struggles of managing a healthy heart.

He often laughs saying that commercials for cereals such as Cheerio's make the thought of having normal blood pressure look like it's as easy as 1-2-3. It's obviously not. I've watched him struggle for years to stay healthy while still dealing with the effects of high blood pressure like pain in his joints when he gets out of bed in the morning or has been too active during the day.

He like many people, are holding out in hopes of someday seeing a vaccine that will cure hypertension. Recent reports show that a study group was conducted with a vaccine in a group of adults with mild-to-moderate hypertension. The tests thus far have been more focuses upon seeing side effects and results rather than testing effectiveness. Alain Tissot of Cytos Biotechnology says that "if the vaccines fare well, the patients would need a few injections per year". These types of injections could be helpful in controlling the blood pressure of many thus reducing heart attacks, strokes, heart disease, and extremely sore tendons and joints.

Until then, people with high blood pressure should take steps to keep it normal including losing weight, eating healthy, quit smoking, and keeping blood sugar under control.

Sources:

www.webmd.com (Article "Hypertension: Frequently Asked Questions)

www.americanheart.com

www.webmd.com (Hypertension Vaccine in the Works, Miranda Hitti, 2008)

www.healthline.com/adamcontent/hypertension/1