Diseases that affect the joints can be caused by genetics, bacteria, viruses, injuries, obesity and aging. Joint stiffness is an indicator of some type of injury, stress, infection or disease process of the joint tissue that needs evaluation by a health care provider. Treatment for a stiff joint depends on the cause and the joint affected.
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
Arthritis, an autoimmune disease, comes in many types, with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, or JRA, the most common in young people. The Nemours Foundation reports that of the nearly 300,000 children in the United States with some type of arthritis, most have JRA; it affects about 50,000 children. The three major types of JRA are oligoarticular--affecting four or fewer joints; polyarticular--affecting five or more joints; and systemic--affecting the whole body.
Symptoms include joint stiffness, joint pain, fever and rashes that move from one area to another. Treatment consists of medication for pain and inflammation, along with physical therapy.
Lyme Disease
The cause of Lyme disease is a bacterium carried by ticks. The initial symptom is usually a circular or bull's-eye rash that appears three to 30 days following a tick bite. Other common symptoms associated with Lyme disease include joint pain and stiffness, muscle aches, fatigue, headache and fever. If left untreated, the CDC's Division of Vector-Borne Infectious Diseases states that about 60 percent of people infected with Lyme disease will have severe joint pain and swelling. Early treatment with antibiotics gives the best chance for a complete cure.
Septic Arthritis
Septic, or infectious, arthritis is an infection of the fluid and tissue of a joint that can affect all ages. Merck Manuals reports that people with abnormal joints who develop an infection that reaches the bloodstream are at risk for septic arthritis. The infecting agent, which can be staphylococci, gonococci or parvoviruses, takes up residence in a joint and causes an infection. Symptoms include a joint that is painful to the touch, warm and red. As the fluid builds up in the joint around the infection, the joint begins to swell and stiffen. Immediate use of antibiotics, antifungals or other appropriate medications gives the best chance to treat the infection and prevent further deterioration of the joint.
Hashimoto's Disease
Hashimoto's disease, the most common cause of low thyroidism in the United States, results from the body's immune system attacking the thyroid gland, explains the Mayo Clinic. Symptoms of Hashimoto's disease depend on the severity of the reduction in thyroid hormone levels and vary from mild fatigue to joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms include muscle aches, depression and unexplained weight gain. Treatment may include thyroid hormone replacement if blood tests reveal a decreased blood level of the thyroid stimulating hormone, or TSH.
