1. Get a Diagnosis
You'll need a doctor to identify what's causing your joint pain in order to be able to treat the symptoms properly. The most common cause of joint pain is rheumatoid arthritis. Additional causes include osteoarthritis, autoimmune diseases (especially lupus), infections, gout and fibromyalgia. Depending on your symptoms and the severity of the pain, your doctor may recommend a variety of tests to determine the cause.
2. Identify All Areas Where Pain Is Present
Diseases that cause joint pain usually attack more than one area of the body. Knees, hips, wrists and shoulders are the most commonly affected, but other areas can be painful as well. If the pain is limited to a single spot, it may be caused by gout, by a repetitive stress injury or by bursitis, the inflammation of the cushioning sac around the joint, rather than by something internal, such as arthritis.
3. Look for Additional Signs
Aside from pain, people often experience a variety of other symptoms when dealing with a joint disease. Stiffness or tenderness of the muscles surrounding the joint can indicate an injury, while swelling may be a sign of gout. Certain diseases, including common ones such as measles and chickenpox, can cause joint pain. If the pain is in a single joint, an x-ray may reveal the cause. For generalized joint pain, your doctor will probably order a CBC or blood differential.
4. Qualify the Nature of Your Pain
To help your doctor make the right diagnosis, tell her whether the pain is constant or changes throughout the day. Also, there is an important difference between pain that comes in throbbing bouts and pain that could be described as stabbing or burning. Also let your doctor know if pain comes and goes depending on the type of activity you are doing or outside elements such as the weather.
