Joints
Joint pain
Pain, stiffness or swelling in one or more joints, ranging from everyday wear-and-tear arthritis to inflammatory and crystal arthritis — and which, when a single joint is hot, swollen and accompanied by fever, can signal a joint infection that is a medical emergency.
Education and reference only. This explains the common causes of joint pain and the warning signs that need urgent help, in plain language — it is not a diagnosis or a substitute for advice from a clinician. If you feel very unwell or are worried, seek medical help.
Quick answer
What is joint pain?
Joint pain is very common and has many causes, and a useful first step is to think about how many joints are involved and whether the joint is inflamed. Pain in a single weight-bearing joint that builds up over years, is worse with use and better with rest, usually reflects osteoarthritis, the wear-related form.
- Get urgent help: Seek urgent same-day help for a single joint that is hot, swollen and very painful with a fever — this can mean a joint infection. Seek urgent help if a joint suddenly becomes severely painful, red and swollen and you feel generally unwell.
- Self-care: For ongoing joint pain that has been assessed, a balance of rest and movement is key: keeping joints gently moving with regular low-impact activity such as walking, swimming or cycling maintains strength and flexibility, while pacing avoids overloading a painful joint.
About joint pain
Joint pain is very common and has many causes, and a useful first step is to think about how many joints are involved and whether the joint is inflamed. Pain in a single weight-bearing joint that builds up over years, is worse with use and better with rest, usually reflects osteoarthritis, the wear-related form. Pain and stiffness in several small joints, worse in the morning and lasting more than half an hour, with swelling, suggests an inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis. A sudden, intensely painful, red, hot joint — classically the big toe — points to gout, where crystals form in the joint. The pattern, timing and associated features such as rashes, eye symptoms or back stiffness all help distinguish the causes. The one pattern that must never be missed is a single hot, swollen, very painful joint with fever or feeling unwell, which can mean infection within the joint and needs same-day assessment.
When to get help
Call 999 or go to A&E if joint pain comes with any of these warning signs:
- Seek urgent same-day help for a single joint that is hot, swollen and very painful with a fever — this can mean a joint infection.
- Seek urgent help if a joint suddenly becomes severely painful, red and swollen and you feel generally unwell.
- See a doctor promptly for joint pain after a significant injury, or a joint that you cannot move or bear weight on.
- See a doctor promptly for joint pain with a new rash, unexplained fever, weight loss, or eye redness and pain.
- Seek prompt help for new shoulder and hip stiffness with scalp tenderness or jaw pain in someone over 50.
When to see a doctor
A single hot, swollen, exquisitely painful joint with fever needs same-day assessment because of the risk of infection. See a doctor promptly if joint pain follows a serious injury, if you cannot use the joint, or if pain and swelling come with fever, rash, weight loss or eye symptoms that suggest an inflammatory cause. Arrange a routine appointment for joint pain and stiffness that persists for weeks, affects several joints, is worse in the mornings, or is limiting daily activities, as early treatment of inflammatory arthritis protects the joints.
Not sure how urgent it is? It is always OK to call NHS 111 for advice, day or night.
What can cause it
Common causes of joint pain
Joint pain has many possible causes. Each links to a full, plain-language guide to that condition — what it is, how it's treated and when to seek help.
What helps
Self-care and what you can do
For ongoing joint pain that has been assessed, a balance of rest and movement is key: keeping joints gently moving with regular low-impact activity such as walking, swimming or cycling maintains strength and flexibility, while pacing avoids overloading a painful joint. Keeping to a healthy weight reduces strain on knees, hips and the back. Heat can ease stiffness before activity and a cold pack can calm a swollen, inflamed joint — protect the skin with a cloth. Supportive footwear and simple aids can reduce strain on lower-limb joints. If a specific condition such as gout has been diagnosed, following the dietary and lifestyle advice your clinician gives can reduce how often attacks occur.
Answers
Joint pain: frequently asked questions
When is a painful joint an emergency?
A single joint that becomes hot, very swollen and intensely painful, especially with a fever or feeling unwell, can mean infection inside the joint. This needs same-day medical assessment, as untreated joint infection can damage the joint quickly.
How can I tell wear-and-tear arthritis from inflammatory arthritis?
Osteoarthritis tends to affect one or a few weight-bearing joints, worsens with use and has brief morning stiffness. Inflammatory arthritis often affects several small joints symmetrically with prolonged morning stiffness and visible swelling. A clinician can confirm the type.
What helps joint pain at home?
Keeping joints moving with gentle low-impact exercise, maintaining a healthy weight, using heat for stiffness and cold for swelling, and supportive footwear all help. These measures support, but do not replace, treatment of the underlying cause.
Why does gout often start in the big toe?
Gout occurs when crystals form in a joint, and the big toe is the classic first site, becoming suddenly red, hot and severely painful. Attacks can be reduced by addressing the underlying tendency, which a clinician can advise on.
Sources
Where this is drawn from
- NICE CKS: Joint pain.
- Versus Arthritis: joint pain information.
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