Joint pain can make everyday activities like walking, exercising, working, climbing stairs, or simply getting out of a chair uncomfortable. While joint discomfort becomes more common with age, persistent pain should not automatically be accepted as something you simply have to live with. Identifying what is causing your symptoms is an important first step toward improving movement, function, and quality of life.
Why Do My Joints Hurt?
Joint pain can develop for many reasons. Sometimes symptoms begin after an injury, while other joint problems develop gradually from inflammation, repetitive stress, age-related changes, or an underlying medical condition.
The location, duration, and type of pain can provide important clues about what may be causing your symptoms.
Arthritis
Arthritis is one of the most common causes of chronic joint pain.
Osteoarthritis develops as cartilage and other joint structures change over time. Symptoms may include pain, stiffness, swelling, reduced range of motion, and difficulty performing everyday activities.
Other forms of arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis, involve different disease processes and require appropriate medical evaluation and management.
Bursitis
Bursae are small, fluid-filled sacs that help reduce friction around certain joints.
When a bursa becomes irritated or inflamed, it can cause pain and tenderness around the affected joint. Bursitis commonly affects areas such as the shoulder, hip, elbow, and knee.
Repetitive activities, prolonged pressure, overuse, or an injury may contribute to bursitis.
Tendinitis
Tendons connect muscles to bones.
Repetitive movement, overuse, sports activities, workplace demands, or an injury may irritate a tendon and lead to tendinitis.
Symptoms can include pain, tenderness, stiffness, and discomfort during movement. Some tendon problems may also cause a catching, snapping, or grinding sensation around the affected area.
Previous Injuries
An old injury can sometimes continue affecting the way a joint moves long after the initial injury has healed.
Muscle weakness, limited mobility, scar tissue, altered movement patterns, or changes within the joint may contribute to recurring symptoms.
This is one reason rehabilitation following an injury can be important even after the initial pain begins to improve.
Can a Motor Vehicle Accident Cause Joint Pain?
Yes. A motor vehicle accident can affect much more than the neck and lower back.
The force of a collision may injure the shoulders, hips, knees, wrists, and other joints. Soft tissues surrounding the joints may also be strained or irritated.
Some symptoms develop immediately, while others become more noticeable hours or days after an accident.
Persistent joint pain following a motor vehicle accident should be evaluated so the affected structures and functional limitations can be identified.
Can a Work Injury Cause Chronic Joint Pain?
Workplace injuries can also lead to joint problems.
Repetitive lifting, pushing, pulling, prolonged standing, frequent bending, overhead work, falls, and other job demands can place significant stress on the joints.
A single workplace accident may cause an acute injury, while repetitive job duties can gradually contribute to overuse problems.
For injured workers, treatment may include rehabilitation designed to restore strength, mobility, endurance, and the ability to safely perform job-related activities.
Will Joint Pain Always Be Permanent?
Not necessarily.
Whether joint pain improves depends heavily on what is causing it.
Some conditions are temporary and respond well to activity modification and rehabilitation. Other conditions, such as osteoarthritis, involve long-term changes that cannot simply be reversed.
Even when an underlying condition is chronic, treatment may help manage symptoms, improve mobility, strengthen supporting muscles, and make everyday activities easier.
Physical Therapy for Joint Pain
Physical therapy can play an important role in treating many musculoskeletal causes of joint pain.
Treatment may focus on strengthening muscles surrounding the affected joint, improving flexibility and range of motion, restoring movement patterns, and improving balance or functional ability.
Therapeutic exercises are selected according to the patient’s condition and gradually progressed as function improves.
For someone recovering from an injury, treatment may also include activities designed to prepare the patient for work, exercise, sports, or normal daily activities.
Chiropractic Care and Joint Pain
Chiropractic care is commonly associated with neck and back problems, but musculoskeletal evaluation may also involve how different joints and surrounding structures are functioning.
When appropriate, chiropractic care may be incorporated into an individualized treatment plan along with rehabilitation, therapeutic exercise, and other conservative treatments.
Treatment should always be based on the cause of the symptoms rather than simply treating every case of joint pain the same way.
Laser Therapy
Class IV laser therapy is another conservative treatment available at Easy Reach Chiropractic & Physical Therapy.
Laser therapy may be incorporated into an individualized treatment plan for certain musculoskeletal conditions involving irritated or injured tissues.
Whether laser therapy is appropriate depends on the patient’s condition, examination findings, and overall treatment plan.
Why Strength Matters When Your Joints Hurt
Strong muscles help support and stabilize joints.
When surrounding muscles become weak, the joint may have to tolerate greater stress during walking, lifting, climbing stairs, exercising, or other activities.
Appropriate strengthening exercises may help improve joint support and function.
However, exercising through significant or unexplained joint pain without first understanding its cause can make some conditions worse. Exercise recommendations should be appropriate for the individual problem.
When Should Joint Pain Be Evaluated?
Consider having joint pain evaluated when it:
- Interferes with walking or exercise
- Limits your ability to work
- Causes noticeable swelling
- Reduces your range of motion
- Makes climbing stairs difficult
- Causes weakness or instability
- Developed following an accident or injury
- Prevents you from performing normal daily activities
Sudden severe pain, significant swelling, obvious deformity, inability to bear weight, a hot or red joint accompanied by fever, or symptoms following significant trauma may require prompt medical attention.
Joint Pain Treatment at Easy Reach Chiropractic & Physical Therapy
At Easy Reach Chiropractic & Physical Therapy, we evaluate the cause of your symptoms before determining which treatment options may be appropriate.
Depending on your condition, your individualized treatment plan may include physical therapy and rehabilitation, chiropractic care, therapeutic exercise, Class IV laser therapy, and other conservative treatments.
For patients recovering from work-related injuries, rehabilitation may also focus on restoring the strength, endurance, mobility, and functional abilities required for their job.
Our goal is not simply to temporarily cover up joint pain. We want to help patients improve movement and function while addressing the factors contributing to their symptoms.
You Don’t Have to Simply Accept Joint Pain
Joint pain may be common, but that doesn’t mean every aching joint should be ignored.
Understanding why your joint hurts can help determine what can be done to improve your symptoms and protect your ability to stay active.
If persistent shoulder, hip, knee, or other joint pain is interfering with your work, exercise, or everyday activities, contact Easy Reach Chiropractic & Physical Therapy to schedule an evaluation.