Joint pain is extremely common. In one national survey, about one-third of adults reported having joint pain within the past 30 days. Knee pain is the most common complaint, but joint pain can affect any part of your body from your ankles to your shoulders. As you get older, painful joints become increasingly more common. Understanding the causes can help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Joint pain can range from mildly irritating to debilitating. It may go away after a few weeks (acute), or last for several weeks or months (chronic). Even short-term pain and swelling in the joints can affect your quality of life. Whatever the cause of joint pain, you can usually manage it with medication, physical therapy, or alternative treatments.

So what causes this pain?

The leading causes of joint pain statistically are:

• Osteoarthritis – Caused by aging joints, injury, and other “wear and tear” on the weight-bearing surfaces of your joints
• Rheumatoid Arthritis – Membranes or tissues lining the joint become inflamed
• Post-traumatic Arthritis – Irregularities lead to more wear on the joint
• Avascular Necrosis – Bone may collapse and damage the cartilage
• Paget’s Disease – The density and the shape of the bone change

Hip Osteoarthritis

Knee Osteoarthritis