Joint pain is a common condition that affects millions of people, often interfering with their movement, comfort, and quality of life. It can range from mild stiffness to severe discomfort, and may affect one or multiple joints throughout the body. It’s commonly caused by arthritis, injury, overuse, vitamin deficiencies, or systemic conditions.
Joint pain can limit movement, disrupt sleep, and make everyday tasks more difficult. Pinpointing the root cause of joint discomfort helps guide the right treatment.
To explore treatment options and expert support we provide to patients at Ramsay Health Care, visit our pain management services.
What is joint pain?
Joint pain refers to discomfort, stiffness, or inflammation in or around a joint - where two bones meet. It can present in different ways and vary in intensity and duration. These include stiffness that limits movement, particularly in the morning; swelling or warmth around your affected joint; aching or throbbing sensations that worsen with activity; and sharp or stabbing pain during movement or when bearing weight.
This pain can affect mobility, making it harder to walk, climb stairs, grip objects, or perform everyday tasks. Over time, it may impact your sleep, mood, and overall quality of life.
Joint pain can stem from arthritis, injury, overuse, vitamin deficiencies, or systemic conditions. Understanding the cause is key to choosing the most effective treatment - whether that’s physiotherapy, medication, lifestyle changes, or nutritional support. This is especially true when trying to identify the cause of knee joint pain, the cause of pain in the hip joints, and the underlying reasons for discomfort in other joints throughout the body.
Explore how diet can support joint health in our guide to Nutritional Advice to Avoid Joint Pain.
What causes joint pain?
Joint pain can arise from a wide range of conditions, injuries, and lifestyle factors. Whether it’s localised to one area or felt throughout your body, identifying the causes of joint pain is essential to finding relief and restoring mobility.
Common joint pain causes include:
Injury
Trauma such as sprains, fractures, or accidents can damage your ligaments, cartilage, or bone, leading to acute joint pain, swelling, and reduced movement. Even minor injuries can result in lingering discomfort if not properly treated. These injuries are among the most frequent reasons for knee joint pain.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease. This means your cartilage wears down over time and causes your bones to rub together. This leads to stiffness, aching, and reduced flexibility - especially in your weight-bearing joints like knees, hips, and spine. It’s a leading cause of knee joint pain and a common cause of pain in the hip joints.
Bursitis
Inflamed bursae (small fluid-filled sacs that cushion your joints) can cause sharp, localised pain and tenderness. Bursitis is often triggered by repetitive motion or prolonged pressure on your joints like the shoulders, elbows, or hips.
Vitamin D deficiency
Low levels of vitamin D can contribute to joint discomfort, muscle weakness, and increased sensitivity to pain. It may also help explain what causes extreme fatigue and joint pain in some individuals, especially when symptoms are widespread.
Overuse / strain
Repetitive movements, poor posture, or excessive physical activity can strain joints and surrounding tissues, leading to inflammation and chronic pain over time. This is a common cause of knee joint pain, particularly in athletes or individuals with physically demanding routines.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
RA is an autoimmune condition where your immune system mistakenly attacks joint tissues. This causes inflammation, swelling, and pain in multiple joints. This is one of the main reasons for pain in joints all over the body, and it often comes with extreme fatigue, making daily tasks more difficult and exhausting.
If you’re wondering what causes joint pain all over the body, systemic conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, fibromyalgia, or viral infections may be responsible. These can affect multiple joints and often present with fatigue, stiffness, or flu-like symptoms.
Understanding the reasons for pain in joints, whether local or widespread, is essential to choosing the right treatment.
Symptoms of joint pain
Joint pain can feel different for everyone. It depends on what’s causing it and which joints are involved.
Common symptoms include:
- Swelling around your joint, often accompanied by tenderness
- Redness and warmth, suggesting inflammation or infection
- Stiffness, especially after periods of rest or in the morning
- Limited mobility, making it difficult to bend, lift, or bear weight
- Fatigue, particularly when joint pain is linked to systemic conditions like autoimmune disease.
Symptoms can show up differently depending on the cause. Osteoarthritis usually brings slow-building stiffness and aching, while rheumatoid arthritis often causes swelling in multiple joints along with tiredness. Injuries tend to cause sharp, focused pain, and vitamin deficiencies or wider health issues may lead to more general discomfort across several joints.
Pain in specific joints
Joint pain can affect any part of your body, but symptoms and causes often differ depending on the joint involved:
- Knees - pain may include stiffness, swelling, and difficulty walking or climbing stairs. Common causes include osteoarthritis, meniscus tears, and ligament injuries. These are among the most frequent reasons for knee joint pain and can significantly affect mobility.
- Shoulders - symptoms often involve limited range of movement, aching, or sharp pain when lifting your arm. Causes include rotator cuff injuries, bursitis, and frozen shoulder.
- Hips - pain may radiate to your groin or thigh and worsen with movement. Osteoarthritis, bursitis, and hip labral tears are frequent causes of pain in the hip joints.
- Hands and fingers - swelling, stiffness, and reduced grip strength are typical. Rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and repetitive strain are often the cause.
- Feet and ankles - symptoms may include tenderness, swelling, and difficulty bearing weight. Causes range from plantar fasciitis and gout to sprains and arthritis.
Understanding your symptoms and their patterns can help guide diagnosis and treatment.
Joint pain treatment
When it comes to joint pain treatment, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Many people ask, “What is good for joint pain?” or “What helps joint pain?” The answer often involves a mix of approaches for joint pain pain relief. These may include hot and cold therapy, lifestyle adjustments, physiotherapy, exercise, pain relief medications, targeted injections, and, in some cases, surgery.
Hot and cold therapy
Simple but effective, hot and cold therapy can offer fast joint and pain relief at home. Applying heat helps relax muscles and ease stiffness, while cold packs reduce swelling and numb sharp pain.
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Use heat for chronic stiffness or morning discomfort
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Use cold for inflammation, swelling, or after activity.
Always wrap heat or cold packs in a cloth and limit use to 15 to 20 minutes at a time.
Lifestyle adjustments
Making small changes to your daily routine can make a big difference. Maintaining a healthy weight reduces pressure on your joints, while staying active helps prevent stiffness.
Joint-friendly activities like swimming, walking, or yoga can support your mobility without overloading sensitive areas.
Good nutrition also plays a role, especially when addressing vitamin deficiencies that may contribute to joint discomfort.
Physiotherapy and exercise
Physiotherapy plays a key role in helping people manage joint pain and move more easily.
A tailored exercise plan can:
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Improve joint flexibility and strength
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Reduce stiffness and swelling
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Support long-term mobility and independence.
A physiotherapist can guide you through safe movements and recovery strategies that suit your condition. At Ramsay Health Care, our expert physiotherapists create personalised treatment plans that target your specific needs to help you move better, feel stronger, and live with less pain. To learn more or book an appointment, visit Ramsay Physiotherapy Services.
Pain relief medications
If you're wondering “What to take for joint pain?”, common over-the-counter medications include:
These can help with short-term relief. If pain persists or worsens, consult your doctor about stronger prescription options or alternative therapies. Choosing the right pain reliever for joints depends on your symptoms, medical history, and how the pain affects your daily life.
Injections for joint pain
For targeted joint pain relief, your doctor may recommend:
- Steroid injections - to reduce inflammation and provide temporary relief
- Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections - use your own blood components to support healing.
These are typically used when other treatments haven’t worked or when pain is linked to arthritis or injury.
Surgery for joint pain
In severe or long-standing cases where other treatments haven’t worked, surgery may be the next step in achieving lasting joint pain relief. Surgical options depend on the joint affected, the underlying cause, and how much the pain is limiting your mobility and quality of life.
Common procedures include:
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Joint replacement - often used for hips, knees, or shoulders damaged by arthritis. The worn joint is replaced with an artificial one to restore movement and reduce pain.
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Arthroscopy - a minimally invasive procedure used to diagnose and treat joint problems. Surgeons use small instruments to remove damaged tissue, repair ligaments, or clean the joint.
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Joint fusion - used when replacement isn’t suitable. Bones are fused together to stabilise your joint and reduce pain, often in the spine, wrists, or ankles.
Surgery is typically considered when pain is persistent, mobility is severely reduced, or imaging shows significant joint damage. Recovery plans often include physiotherapy and lifestyle support to help you regain strength and independence.
To explore your options, visit our surgical options for bone and joint pain here.
Joint pain diagnosis
Diagnosing joint pain starts with a detailed look at your symptoms, medical history, and how the pain affects your daily life. Your doctor will begin with a physical examination, checking for swelling, warmth, stiffness, and range of motion. They’ll also ask about your lifestyle, past injuries, and any underlying health conditions.
To find the cause of your joint pain, further tests may include:
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Lab tests - blood tests can detect signs of inflammation, infection, or autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis
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X-rays - show bone damage, joint space narrowing, or signs of osteoarthritis
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MRI scans - provide detailed images of soft tissues, cartilage, and ligaments
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Ultrasound - helps assess inflammation, fluid buildup, or bursitis in real time.
Identifying what’s behind your joint pain is essential for choosing the most effective treatment. For example, joint pain from injury may need physiotherapy, while autoimmune-related pain might require medication or specialist care.
To learn more about diagnostic options, visit our tests and scans section.
When to see a doctor for joint pain
Most joint pain improves with rest, gentle movement, or over-the-counter treatment. But some symptoms may signal a more serious problem that needs medical attention.
You should see a doctor if you experience:
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Severe or worsening pain that doesn’t improve with rest or medication
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Swelling, redness, or warmth around the joint, especially if sudden or intense
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Inability to move your joint, bear weight, or perform everyday tasks
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Fever, chills, or feeling generally unwell alongside joint pain
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Sudden injury from a fall, accident, or impact
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Joint pain that lasts more than a few weeks, or keeps coming back.
These symptoms may point to infection, inflammation, autoimmune disease, or structural damage. Early diagnosis can help prevent long-term problems and guide the right treatment. If you're unsure, it's always safer to get checked.
Joint pain support at Ramsay
At Ramsay Health Care, we offer expert support for people living with joint pain - whether it’s caused by arthritis, injury, or long-term wear and tear. Our network includes highly qualified specialists in orthopaedics, rheumatology, and pain management, all working together to provide personalised care.
From initial diagnosis to recovery, we offer:
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Diagnostic services including X-rays, MRI scans, and blood tests to pinpoint the cause of your joint pain
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Physiotherapy programmes tailored to improve movement, reduce pain, and support long-term joint health
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Consultations with specialists who can guide you through treatment options, from medication and injections to surgery if needed.
If joint pain is affecting your daily life, don’t wait. Contact us today and speak to one of our friendly enquiry team to find out more, you can also book an appointment online with one of our experienced clinicians and take the first step toward relief.
Joint pain FAQs
