Common causes of joint pain
Joint pain has many potential causes; everything from various forms of arthritis to a viral infection can cause inflamed, painful joints.
Some arthritis-related conditions and types of arthritis that cause painful joints include:
- Osteoarthritis
- Gout arthritis
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA)
- Fibromyalgia
- Polymyalgia rheumatica
- Psoriatic arthritis
- Reactive arthritis
- Sjogrens syndrome
- Septic arthritis
Connective tissue disorders that cause joint pain:
- Lupus SLE
- Scleroderma
- Ehlers-Danlos syndrome
Other conditions that could be causing your joint pain:
- Rheumatic fever (requires urgent medical attention)
- Viral infections such as flu and COVID-19
- Leukaemia and some other forms of cancer
- Sprains or strains
- Bursitis
- Tendonitis
- Overuse of a joint or being overweight can cause joint pain
- Depression
- Underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism)
- Bone diseases
- Menopause
- Mechanical pain
- Degenerative soft tissue pain
- Referred pain
- Medication side effects
- Vitamin D deficiency
When to see the doctor
- Joint pain is stopping you from doing normal activities or affecting your sleep
- The pain is getting worse or keeps coming back
- The pain has not improved after treating it at home for 2 weeks
- Your joints are stiff for more than 30 minutes after waking up
If your pain comes with fever that lasts more than a week, you have night sweats, weight loss or you’re feeling generally very unwell, you should make an appointment to see your health professional.
