What Causes Joint Pain, Besides Arthritis?

Joint pain is a common effect of aging that can restrict daily activities. You might not want to take a walk or participate in other physical activities because of pain in your shoulders, hips, knees, or other joints. 

While arthritis might be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of joint pain, there are other possible underlying causes, too. 

At Spine & Pain Center of San Antonio in San Antonio and Live Oak, Texas, our expert team can assess your joint pain and create a comprehensive, individually tailored treatment plan to help you attain lasting relief. And if your joint pain emerged after an on-the-job injury, we specialize in workers’ compensation claims. 

Joint pain symptoms 

You have hundreds of joints in your body, from your toes to your neck, and any of them can hurt. Here are some of typical symptoms associated with joint conditions: 

• Aching
• Burning 
• Numbness
• Tingling 
• Redness 
• Stiffness 
• Weakness 
• Loss of mobility 

If you feel any of these symptoms in your joints, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have arthritis. Other conditions cause joint pain, too. 

Common reasons for joint pain that aren’t arthritis 

There are many reasons aside from arthritis that you might be experiencing joint pain, such as: 

Joint injury 

Bone fractures and joint sprains are painful, and while you might think these injuries would be obvious, sometimes they can be mild and less intense. For example, it’s possible to develop knee pain from tiny tears in the meniscus cartilage that cushions your knee joint. 

Certain infections 

Viral infections such as hepatitis C, ebola, or dengue fever can cause joint pain and stiffness. Known as viral arthritis, this type of joint pain eases once you treat the infection. 

Lyme disease can cause joint stiffness and fatigue. Ticks carry Lyme disease, and symptoms can take up to 30 days to appear following a tick bite. You don’t have to spend a lot of time outdoors to get a tick bite, either; ticks gather anywhere with grassy areas. 

Some bacterial infections, like a staph infection, can cause joint pain, too. This type of joint pain often occurs when an acute wound gets infected, and the germs travel through the blood to the joints, triggering inflammation and pain. 

Inflammatory conditions 

Bursitis and tendonitis are two common conditions that cause inflammation and joint pain. Bursitis refers to inflamed cushion-like tissues around your joints, and tendonitis occurs when the tendons that support your joints are inflamed. Your tendons connect muscles to bone and might be inflamed from overuse, injury, medications, or a chronic illness like diabetes. 

Autoimmune diseases 

Lupus is a complicated autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body, causing inflammation, joint pain, and fatigue, among other symptoms. 

Excess body weight

In addition to the above conditions, being overweight can cause joint pain. While it’s not necessarily a medical condition, extra pounds place your ankles, knees, hips, and lower back under increased strain. Often, simply losing a few extra pounds is all it takes to attain relief. 

Expert care for all types of joint pain

Are you suffering from joint pain? We can help. After assessing your risk factors, health history, and symptoms, our team prescribes a personalized treatment plan designed to provide lasting relief — whether your joint pain is related to arthritis or something else.

Call or click online to schedule a visit at your nearest Spine & Pain Center of San Antonio office in San Antonio or Live Oak, Texas, today.