Definition

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Joint pain can be discomfort, pain or inflammation arising from any part of a joint — including cartilage, bone, ligaments, tendons or muscles. Most commonly, however, joint pain refers to arthritis or arthralgia, which is inflammation or pain from within the joint itself.

Joint pain can be mild, causing soreness only after certain activities, or it can be severe, making even limited movement, particularly bearing weight, extremely painful.

Jan. 11, 2019

See also

  1. Acute hepatitis C infection
  2. Addison's disease
  3. Adjuvant therapy for cancer
  4. Adrenal fatigue: What causes it?
  5. Adult Still's disease
  6. Alternative cancer treatments: 10 options to consider
  7. Arthritis
  8. Arthritis pain: Do's and don'ts
  9. Aspergillosis
  10. Atypical cells: Are they cancer?
  11. Autoimmune hepatitis
  12. Behcet's disease
  13. Biopsy procedures
  14. Bone spurs
  15. Botox injections: Can they relieve arthritis pain?
  16. Giant Cell Myocarditis
  17. Brucellosis
  18. Bursitis
  19. Can arthritis pain medications be harmful?
  20. Cancer
  21. Cancer blood tests
  22. Myths about cancer causes
  23. Infographic: Cancer Clinical Trials Offer Many Benefits
  24. Cancer diagnosis: 11 tips for coping
  25. Cancer diagnosis? Advice for dealing with what comes next
  26. Cancer-related fatigue
  27. Cancer pain: Relief is possible
  28. Cancer risk: What the numbers mean
  29. Cancer surgery
  30. Cancer survival rate
  31. Cancer survivors: Care for your body after treatment
  32. Cancer survivors: Late effects of cancer treatment
  33. Cancer survivors: Managing your emotions after cancer treatment
  34. Cancer survivors: Reconnecting with loved ones after treatment
  35. Cancer treatment decisions: 5 steps to help you decide
  36. Cancer treatment for men: Possible sexual side effects
  37. Cancer treatment for women: Possible sexual side effects
  38. Cancer treatment myths
  39. Cancer Vaccine Research
  40. Celiac disease
  41. Celiac disease: Can gluten be absorbed through the skin?
  42. Celiac disease diet: How do I get enough grains?
  43. Chemotherapy side effects: A cause of heart disease?
  44. Chronic fatigue: Can a natural remedy boost my energy?
  45. Chronic fatigue syndrome
  46. Churg-Strauss syndrome
  47. Coconut oil: Can it cure hypothyroidism?
  48. Complex regional pain syndrome
  49. Coping with side effects of hepatitis C drugs
  50. Curcumin: Can it slow cancer growth?
  51. Dengue fever
  52. Diabetic neuropathy
  53. Diabetic neuropathy and dietary supplements
  54. Types of diabetic neuropathy
  55. Cancer-related diarrhea
  56. Dislocation
  57. Dislocation: First aid
  58. Drinking after hepatitis C cure: Is it safe?
  59. Early hepatitis C infection: How often does it become chronic?
  60. Early HIV symptoms: What are they?
  61. Ease the pain of diabetic neuropathy
  62. Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE): What is it?
  63. Eating during cancer treatment: Tips to make food tastier
  64. Ebola transmission: Can Ebola spread through the air?
  65. Ebola virus and Marburg virus
  66. Ehrlichiosis
  67. Encephalitis
  68. Exercising with arthritis
  69. Gonorrhea
  70. Granulomatosis with polyangiitis
  71. Heel spurs: Do they always cause pain?
  72. Hemochromatosis
  73. Hemophilia
  74. Hepatitis B
  75. Hepatitis C
  76. Hepatitis C: How common is sexual transmission?
  77. Hepatitis C: What happens in end-stage liver disease?
  78. High-dose vitamin C: Can it kill cancer cells?
  79. Histoplasmosis
  80. HIV/AIDS
  81. Hypercalcemia
  82. Hypothyroidism: Can calcium supplements interfere with treatment?
  83. Hypothyroidism diet
  84. Hypothyroidism and joint pain?
  85. Hypothyroidism: Should I take iodine supplements?
  86. Hypothyroidism symptoms: Can hypothyroidism cause eye problems?
  87. Hypothyroidism
  88. Is depression a factor in rheumatoid arthritis?
  89. Jellyfish stings
  90. Joint infections
  91. Joint injections
  92. Joint pain: Rheumatoid arthritis or parvovirus?
  93. Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
  94. Kawasaki disease
  95. Liver transplant for hepatitis C
  96. Living with Lupus
  97. Low blood counts
  98. Lupus
  99. Lupus: Can it cause hair loss?
  100. Lupus: Can it cause hives?
  101. Lupus affects kidneys
  102. Lyme disease
  103. Managing diabetic neuropathy complications
  104. Mangosteen juice: Can it relieve arthritis pain?
  105. Mayo Clinic Minute: Will there be a Lyme disease vaccine for humans?
  106. Mixed connective tissue disease
  107. Monoclonal antibody drugs
  108. Mort Crim and Cancer
  109. Mouth sores caused by cancer treatment: How to cope
  110. MSM for arthritis pain: Is it safe?
  111. Myocarditis
  112. New Hep C Treatment
  113. No appetite? How to get nutrition during cancer treatment
  114. Osteoporosis and long-term prednisone: What is the risk?
  115. Palindromic rheumatism: Precursor to rheumatoid arthritis?
  116. Parvovirus infection
  117. Pituitary tumors
  118. Polio
  119. Polymyositis
  120. Polymyositis : Can it affect my lungs?
  121. Post-polio syndrome
  122. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder
  123. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
  124. PrEP to prevent HIV
  125. Pseudogout
  126. Pulmonary fibrosis
  127. Reactive arthritis
  128. Rethinking Rheumatoid Arthritis
  129. Rheumatic fever
  130. Rheumatoid arthritis
  131. Rheumatoid Arthritis
  132. Rheumatoid arthritis and exercise
  133. Rheumatoid arthritis: Vaccines
  134. Rheumatoid arthritis diet
  135. Rheumatoid arthritis: Can it affect the eyes?
  136. Rheumatoid arthritis: Can it affect the lungs?
  137. Rheumatoid arthritis: Does pregnancy affect symptoms?
  138. Rheumatoid arthritis medications: Dangerous during pregnancy?
  139. Rheumatoid arthritis pain: Tips for protecting your joints
  140. Rubella
  141. Sacroiliitis
  142. Salt craving: A symptom of Addison's disease?
  143. Self-Image During Cancer
  144. Septic arthritis
  145. Sjogren's syndrome
  146. Sjogren's syndrome: Can it cause recurrent UTIs?
  147. Hand exercises for people with arthritis
  148. Joint protection
  149. Radiation simulation
  150. Small cell, large cell cancer: What this means
  151. Soy: Does it worsen hypothyroidism?
  152. Staph infections
  153. Still's Disease
  154. Takayasu's arteritis
  155. Thalidomide: Research advances in cancer and other conditions
  156. Integrative approaches to treating pain
  157. Lifestyle strategies for pain management
  158. Nutrition and pain
  159. Pain rehabilitation
  160. Self-care approaches to treating pain
  161. Treating pain: Conventional medical care
  162. Treating pain: Overview
  163. Understanding pain
  164. Tips for coping with rheumatoid arthritis
  165. Tumor vs. cyst: What's the difference?
  166. Valley fever
  167. Vasculitis
  168. How cancer spreads
  169. PICC line placement
  170. Water exercise
  171. What is the Zika virus, and should I be worried?
  172. When cancer returns: How to cope with cancer recurrence
  173. Why isn't there a hepatitis C vaccine?
  174. Wilson's disease
  175. Wilson's syndrome: An accepted medical diagnosis?
  176. Your secret weapon during cancer treatment? Exercise!
  177. Yucca: Can it relieve arthritis pain?
  178. Zika virus