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