Joint pain is extremely common, and can range from mildly irritating to debilitating. It may go away after a few weeks, or last for several weeks or months. Even short-term pain and swelling in the joints can affect your quality of life.

In one recent national survey, one-third of adults reported having joint pain within the past 30 days. The most common complaint was knee pain, followed by shoulder and hip pain, but joint pain can affect any part of your body, from your shoulders to your ankles. 

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. It can be discomfort, pain or inflammation arising from any part of a joint — including cartilage, bone, ligaments, tendons or muscles.

While many different conditions can cause painful joints, the most frequent reason is arthritis. For a further discussion about arthritis, please click here.