Joint Pain

What Causes Joint Pain?

• Osteoarthritis is the most frequent cause I see, particularly in the knees, hips and hands. The cartilage that cushions the joint gradually thins with wear over the years, so bone begins to move against bone, leading to stiffness, swelling and pain that is often worse after rest or at the end of a long day.
• Overuse and repetitive strain affect people of all ages, not just athletes. Tennis elbow, golfer’s elbow, trigger finger and carpal tunnel syndrome all tend to build up gradually from repeated movement, whether that’s at the gym, on the tools, or simply typing all day.
• Inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and gout cause pain through a different mechanism entirely, with the body’s own immune system or crystal deposits driving inflammation within the joint. These need a proper diagnosis, as the management is quite different from wear-and-tear joint pain.
• Old injuries have a habit of catching up with people. A ligament sprain, a fracture near a joint, or a sporting injury from twenty years ago can quietly change the way a joint moves, setting the scene for pain and stiffness later in life.
• Age and hormonal changes play a bigger role than most people realise. Joints naturally stiffen as we get older, and for women, the fall in oestrogen around the menopause is increasingly recognised as a trigger for new joint aches, particularly in the hands and knees.
• Weight and biomechanics matter too. Extra load through weight-bearing joints such as the knees and hips adds up over time, and even small changes in how you walk or stand, often due to an old injury elsewhere, can place uneven strain on a joint that was previously perfectly healthy.

None of this means joint pain is something to simply put up with. It’s usually a combination of mechanical wear, biomechanics, and sometimes inflammation, and understanding which of these applies to you is the first step towards proper treatment.