Common reasons for Joint Pain

Joint pain refers to discomfort, aches, and soreness in any of the body’s joints. Joint pain is a common complaint. Sometimes, joint pain is the result of an illness or injury. Arthritis is also a common cause of joint pain. However, it can also be due to other conditions or factors.

Arthritis

One of the most common causes of joint pain is arthritis. The two main forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Osteoarthritis is most common in adults over age 40. Joint pain due to Osteoarthritis results from a breakdown of the cartilage that serves as a cushion and shock absorber for the joints.
The second form of arthritis is rheumatoid arthritis. It can deform and debilitate the joints over time, causes pain, inflammation, and fluid buildup in the joints as the body’s immune system attacks the membrane that lines the joints. It more commonly affects women than men.

Gout

s a painful condition where crystals from the body collect in the joint, causing severe pain and swelling. This usually occurs in the big toe.

Injury

Injury is a common cause of joint pain. Injuries can result from the excessive use or effort of the joints or from an impact that causes a fracture, sprain, or strain. For example, a common knee injury is damage to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)Trusted Source. People who play certain sports, such as soccer, basketball, or football, are more at risk of injuring their ACL.

Hypothyroidism

The most common cause of hypothyroidism —an underactive thyroid gland—is Hashimoto's thyroiditis, which is when your body's immune system launches an attack on your thyroid.

Infectious diseases

Some infectious diseases can have joint pain as a symptom, e.g. Lyme disease, typhus, influenza, hepatitis, rubella and rarely chickenpox. Reactive arthritis is arthritis that develops in response to an infection in your body. Some bacterial infections can cause reactive arthritis, for example, Salmonella, Chlamydia and Clostridium difficile. However, not everyone who gets these infections will develop reactive arthritis – only a small number of people will.

Bone Cancer

Primary bone cancer – that is cancer that starts in the bone – is rare. Secondary bone cancer is cancer in the bone that has spread from cancer in another part of the body. Bone cancer may cause joint pain as well as aching, throbbing or stabbing pain in the bone. The pain may be worse at night or during activity.