What Causes Joint Pain?

Author : Paula Sanders 

The discomfort that comes when tired knees are bent or the nagging ache felt when extending the elbow are all signs of joint pain, which has the potential to affect one or more joints at a time. While the inflammation of the joints (primarily caused by arthritis) is usually the culprit behind painful joints, there are many different kinds of injuries and conditions that may cause sore joints that throb with pain. No matter what causes painful joints, the overall feeling can become quite unbearable.

Paying a visit to a physician is needed to reach an accurate diagnosis regarding your joint pain. It is very important to locate the source of your joint problem in order to select the best approach towards treatment. After completing an assortment of tests, a proper diagnosis is made. Below you will find a few conditions the doctor may consider when pinpointing the source of your joint pain:

1. Rheumatoid Arthritis:
This autoimmune disorder causes stiffness and pain in the joints. Unfortunately, it is also a progressive illness, which has the potential to destroy joints and cause varying levels of disability.

2. Osteoarthritis:
This condition involves the deterioration of cartilage and the growth of bone spurs that affects the joints. In adults over the age of 45, this is a rather common occurrence, which can cause irritating joint pain.

3. Bursitis:
Joint pain often surfaces when the inflammation of the bursae (fluid-filled sacs that provide cushioning for bony parts of the body) takes place.

4. Lupus:
The characteristics of this autoimmune condition are known to affect the joints by making them swollen, inflamed, and quite painful.

5. Prescription Drug Interactions:
It is not unheard of when patients suffer from joint pain when one medication reacts with another drug or preexisting medical concern.

6. Physical Stress:
Since the physical health of a joint is important in determining the level of pain one may endure, anything that causes damage or stress greatly affects joint pain. This is why athletes are especially prone to pain since they are constantly putting their joints under a great amount of stress.

7. Sprains and Strains:
When overuse of a joint leads to a strain or sprain, pain comes from extraordinary physical exertion.

8. Injury:
Injuries can cause great joint pain, especially when a bone fracture occurs.

9. Gout:
Joint pain may also come as a sudden attack, such as in the case of gout, where a build-up in uric acid causes extreme discomfort.

10. Tendonitis:
The inflammation, irritation, and swelling of a tendon may cause joint pain.

11. Infectious Diseases:
Joint pain is a common symptom associated with a host of infectious diseases, including influenza, measles, hepatitis, mumps, German measles (rubella), chickenpox, paravirus, and lyme disease.