Joints are the parts of your body where your bones meet. The joints allow the bones of your skeleton to move. The joints include:

back
hips
elbows
knees
Joint pain refers to discomfort, pain and pain in any of the joints of the body. Joint pain is a common complaint. It usually does not require a visit to the hospital. Sometimes, joint pain is the result of a disease or injury. Arthritis is also a common cause of joint pain. However, it may also be due to other conditions or factors.

What causes joint pain?
Arthritis
One of the most common causes of joint pain is arthritis. The two main forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

According to the American College of Rheumatology, OA is more common in adults over 40 years. It progresses slowly and tends to affect commonly used joints such as:

dolls
hands
hips
knees
Joint pain due to OA is due to a breakdown of the cartilage that serves as a buffer and shock absorber for the joints.

The second form of arthritis is RA. According to the Arthritis Foundation, RA affects about 1.5 million Americans. It affects women more commonly than men. It can deform and weaken the joints over time. RA causes pain, inflammation and fluid buildup in the joints when the body's immune system attacks the membrane that covers the joints.

Other causes
Joint pain can be caused by:

Bursitis or inflammation of the cushion pads around the joints.
lupus
drop
Some infectious diseases, such as mumps, influenza and hepatitis
Chondromalacia of the patella or cartilage rupture in the patella.
a wound
Tendonitis, or inflammation of the tendon.
a bone infection
excessive use of a joint
Cancer
fibromyalgia
osteoporosis
sarcoidosis
rickets
What are the symptoms of joint pain?
In some cases, your joint pain will require you to see a doctor. You should make an appointment if you do not know the cause of your joint pain and are experiencing other unexplained symptoms. You should also consult a doctor if the area around the joint is inflamed, red, tender or warm to the touch, pain persists for three days or more, or if you have a fever but there are no other signs of the flu.

Go to the emergency room if any of the following occurs:

You have experienced a serious injury.
The joint appears deformed.
Joint swelling occurs suddenly.
The joint is completely motionless.
You have severe joint pain.
How is joint pain diagnosed?
Your doctor will probably perform a physical exam. They will also ask you a series of questions about your joint pain. This can help reduce the possible causes.

An x-ray of the joint may be necessary to identify joint damage related to arthritis. If your doctor suspects that there is another cause, they may perform a blood test to detect certain autoimmune disorders. They can also perform a sedimentation rate test to measure the level of inflammation in the body or a complete blood count.

How is joint pain treated?
Home treatment
Doctors consider that both OA and RA are chronic conditions. Nothing can eliminate joint pain associated with arthritis or prevent it from coming back. However, there are ways to control pain:

It may be helpful to use topical pain relievers or take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications to reduce pain, swelling and inflammation.
Stay physically active and follow an exercise program that focuses on moderate exercise.
Stretch before exercising to maintain a good range of motion in your joints.
Keep your body weight within a healthy range. This will decrease joint stress.
If your pain is not due to arthritis, you can try taking an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication, getting a massage, taking a hot bath, stretching frequently, and resting properly.
Medical treatment
Your treatment options will depend on the cause of the pain. In some cases, your doctor will need to remove the fluid accumulated in the joint area. They may also recommend surgery to replace the joint.

Other methods of nonsurgical treatment may include lifestyle changes or medications that can potentially cause your RA to go into remission. In the case of RA, your doctor will first treat the inflammation. Once the RA goes into remission, your medical treatment is focused