Joint pain

Date Updated: 04/05/2023

Definition

Joint pain is discomfort in a joint. Sometimes, the joint swells and feels warm as well.

Joint pain can be a symptom of many ailments, including some viruses. The most common cause of joint pain is arthritis. There are more than 100 types of arthritis.

Joint pain can be mild, causing soreness only after certain activities. Or it can be severe, making even small movements very painful.

Causes

Causes of joint pain include:

Adult Still's disease
Ankylosing spondylitis
Avascular necrosis (osteonecrosis)
Bone cancer
Broken bone
Bursitis
Complex regional pain syndrome
Depression (major depressive disorder)
Fibromyalgia
Gout
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis C
Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid)
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
Leukemia
Lupus
Lyme disease
Osteoarthritis
Osteomyelitis
Paget's disease of bone
Polymyalgia rheumatica
Pseudogout
Psoriatic arthritis
Reactive arthritis
Rheumatic fever
Rheumatoid arthritis
Rickets
Sarcoidosis
Septic arthritis
Sprains
Tendinitis

When to see a doctor

Joint pain is rarely an emergency. Mild joint pain often can be cared for at home.

Make an appointment with your health care provider if you have joint pain and:

Swelling.
Redness.
Tenderness and warmth around the joint.
Fever.

See a health care provider right away if an injury causes joint pain and:

The joint looks out of shape.
You can't use the joint.
The pain is severe.
There's sudden swelling.

Self-care

When caring for mild joint pain at home, follow these tips:

Try pain relievers you can get without a prescription. These include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or naproxen sodium (Aleve).
Don't move in ways that make the pain worse.
Apply ice or a package of frozen peas to the painful joint for 15 to 20 minutes a few times each day.
Apply a heating pad, soak in a warm tub or take a warm shower to relax muscles and increase blood flow.