Why Do My Joints Hurt?
Here’s a question many of us have asked ourselves at some point in time: Why do my joints hurt? Whether it’s your knees, hips, shoulders, fingers, or other parts of your body, joint pain can negatively impact your daily life and keep you from doing what you enjoy. Unfortunately, having your joints hurt can happen no matter your age, fitness level, or lifestyle. So what can you do?
Keep reading to learn some of the common joint pain causes that may be affecting you. We’re covering why joints hurt sometimes, different types of joint pain you might experience, and what’s causing it. You’ll also learn how things like posture and inflammation relief can help with how to improve joint health over time and get you back to being pain-free.
Why Do My Joints Hurt Sometimes?
As we mentioned before, if you find yourself asking, “Why do my joints hurt?” you’re certainly not alone. In fact, a reported 70% of older adults say they are experiencing joint pain, with women reporting a slightly higher percentage than men1. Having joint pain all over the body areas can flare up for a wide range of reasons, so it’s sometimes challenging to determine a singular cause.
Can weather affect joint pain? You bet it can, especially when it’s cold, wet, and rainy. You might also have your joints hurt from sitting too long or using a chair that doesn’t provide enough support for your body. There are even such possible factors like menopause joint pain or joint pain stemming from overuse.
While experiencing this kind of discomfort doesn’t always mean it’s something serious or life-threatening, identifying joint pain causes is the first step toward returning to being pain-free.
Different Types of Joint Pain
Whether it turns out your joints hurt from normal wear and tear or come from an underlying condition, making efforts toward how to keep joints healthy is important at every age to maintain a good quality of life. That’s why it’s also valuable to understand not all joint pain causes the same experience. There are many different types of joint pain that you might encounter throughout your life.
Some of the most common ways joints hurt include:
- Acute joint pain from injuries
- Chronic joint pain from conditions like arthritis
- Inflammation
- Degenerative joint pain
- Menopause-related symptoms
Depending on what’s causing it, you might feel joint pain all over body areas and in different ways. Some pain might feel sharp, while other times it may be just a dull aching sensation. Discussing your joint pain with your doctor is also important to identifying the root source of your discomfort and determining any targeted plan of action.
Joint Pain Causes
Now that we've laid out foundational knowledge on types of joint pain all over body areas, let's dive into some specific answers to the question, "Why do my joints hurt?" There can be all kinds of complex reasons why you’re experiencing this kind of bodily discomfort. If left unchecked, these can take a turn for the worse and become chronic conditions that may have long-lasting ramifications.
Some of the joint pain causes you may encounter include:
- Age-related wear and tear
- Autoimmune conditions
- Injuries that cause joint pain
- Inflammatory conditions
- Lifestyle factors for joint pain
1. Age-Related Wear and Tear
One of the most common joint pain causes you’re likely to experience is the normal wear and tear you put on your body as you continue getting older. That doesn’t mean this is relegated to only older adults, however. Activities like high-impact sports and other types of overuse can lead to wear and tear complications more quickly. The reason behind this is the breakdown of your cartilage, which is the cushioning between your bones.
Over time, cartilage can start to thin out, leading to conditions that can make your joints hurt such as osteoarthritis. It’s most often seen in weight-bearing areas of your body like your hips or knees, but can also manifest in your hands, shoulders, and other places. Stiffness and soreness from age-related joint pain causes may be heightened after longer periods of rest or inactivity.
2. Autoimmune Conditions
Another answer to the question, “Why do my joints hurt?” could be autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and lupus. These kinds of health conditions happen when your body’s immune system mistakenly attacks its own tissues. For example, those with RA often experience inflammation as their body attacks the lining of their joints.
When joints hurt from autoimmune conditions, they can become more widespread. This may lead to joint pain all over body areas alongside other symptoms like fatigue or muscle weakness.
3. Injuries Causing Joint Pain
Other joint pain causes are injuries you experience from an accident, sports, or any other source. These can take the form of a sprain, strain, or fracture and lead to damaged tissue around your joints that continues to be uncomfortable even after you’ve healed. Athletes and other active people should take particular care to ensure they’re allowing their bodies to recover fully.
Even if you’ve healed from an injury, underlying long-term damage can make your joints hurt during flare-ups over time. Tools like zero gravity chairs are beneficial for ongoing treatment as well as targeting injury-related joint pain causes whenever they occur.
Additional Info: Are you an active individual? Reduce your risk of joint pain causes with our guide full of tips to help joint recovery for athletes after you finish this article.
4. Inflammatory Conditions
Joint pain caused by inflammation is another common experience for people of all ages. Medical conditions like gout or bursitis can cause acute pain as your joints become inflamed. This makes it all the more important to learn how to treat swollen joints from inflammation as quickly and efficiently as possible.
For example, gout is a medical condition that develops from uric acid buildup in your body. It leads to crystals forming in the joints which are the source of your joints hurting. Bursitis, on the other hand, is caused by inflammation of fluid-filled sacs (called bursae) that help to cushion your joints. This is most often caused from overuse during repetitive motions or excess pressure.
Inflammatory joint pain causes tend to manifest rather quickly and can sometimes be severe, especially in the affected area.
5. Lifestyle Factors
It’s not just underlying health conditions that can become joint pain causes, your lifestyle factors into it, too. Habits like poor posture can have a negative impact on your joints and lead to ongoing discomfort. This is especially true for people who work at a desk for prolonged periods of time each day.
A lack of exercise, or high-impact exercises, can also cause joint pain all over body areas. This is why it’s important to integrate low impact exercises that are easy on joints for your regular workout routine. Finding ways to stay active without adding excess pressure on weight-bearing joints will keep them healthier longer and reduce your risk of injury.
Alleviating Joint Pain All Over Body Areas
Even though there are so many potential joint pain causes you may encounter, there are also plenty of methods for treating these symptoms to alleviate pain and get back to feeling great. Simple lifestyle changes like maintaining a healthy weight, eating right, and keeping active are ideal places to start. You can also integrate tools like zero gravity chairs, which are designed to remove excess pressure from your joints while supporting mental and physical wellness.
Managing joint pain causes and symptoms can seem challenging at first, but identifying their source can lead to relief. Whether it’s from age-related bodily changes, an injury, or something else, be mindful of how your joints feel day-to-day and take the steps you need to keep a long, healthy life.
Disclaimer: This content is not medical advice. Please consult with your healthcare professional when considering implementing changes to your health or workout routines to ensure it’s compatible with your needs.
Additional Sources
- https://www.healthyagingpoll.org/reports-more/report/arthritis-and-joint-pain
