Skip to main content
N I Direct government services

Main navigation

  • Home
  • News
  • Contacts
  • Help
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS

Translation help

Translate this page

Select a language

  • Afrikaans — Afrikaans
  • Albanian — Shqip
  • Amharic — አማርኛ
  • Arabic — العربية
  • Armenian — Հայերեն
  • Assamese — অসমীয়া
  • Aymara — Aymar aru
  • Azerbaijani — Azərbaycan dili
  • Bambara — Bamanankan
  • Basque — Euskara
  • Belarusian — Беларуская
  • Bengali — বাংলা
  • Bhojpuri — भोजपुरी
  • Bosnian — Bosanski
  • Bulgarian — Български
  • Cantonese — 廣州話
  • Catalan — Català
  • Cebuano — Sinugbuanong Binisayâ
  • Chichewa — Chichewa
  • Chinese (Simplified) — 简体中文
  • Chinese (Traditional) — 繁體中文
  • Corsican — Corsu
  • Croatian — Hrvatski
  • Czech — Čeština
  • Danish — Dansk
  • Dhivehi — ދިވެހި
  • Dogri — डोगरी
  • Dutch — Nederlands
  • English — English
  • Esperanto — Esperanto
  • Estonian — Eesti
  • Ewe — Eʋegbe
  • Filipino — Filipino
  • Finnish — Suomi
  • French — Français
  • Frisian — Frysk
  • Galician — Galego
  • Georgian — ქართული
  • German — Deutsch
  • Greek — Ελληνικά
  • Guarani — Avañe’ẽ
  • Gujarati — ગુજરાતી
  • Haitian Creole — Kreyòl ayisyen
  • Hausa — Hausa
  • Hawaiian — ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi
  • Hebrew — עברית
  • Hindi — हिन्दी
  • Hmong — Hmoob
  • Hungarian — Magyar
  • Icelandic — Íslenska
  • Igbo — Asụsụ Igbo
  • Ilocano — Ilokano
  • Indonesian — Bahasa Indonesia
  • Irish — Gaeilge
  • Italian — Italiano
  • Japanese — 日本語
  • Javanese — Basa Jawa
  • Kannada — ಕನ್ನಡ
  • Kazakh — Қазақ тілі
  • Khmer — ភាសាខ្មែរ
  • Kinyarwanda — Ikinyarwanda
  • Konkani — कोंकणी
  • Korean — 한국어
  • Krio — Krio
  • Kurdish (Kurmanji) — Kurdî
  • Kurdish (Sorani) — کوردی
  • Kyrgyz — Кыргызча
  • Lao — ລາວ
  • Latin — Latina
  • Latvian — Latviešu
  • Lingala — Lingála
  • Lithuanian — Lietuvių
  • Luganda — Luganda
  • Luxembourgish — Lëtzebuergesch
  • Macedonian — Македонски
  • Maithili — मैथिली
  • Malagasy — Malagasy
  • Malay — Bahasa Melayu
  • Malayalam — മലയാളം
  • Maltese — Malti
  • Maori — Māori
  • Marathi — मराठी
  • Meiteilon (Manipuri) — ꯃꯤꯇꯩ ꯂꯣꯟ
  • Mizo — Mizo ṭawng
  • Mongolian — Монгол хэл
  • Myanmar (Burmese) — မြန်မာစာ
  • Nepali — नेपाली
  • Norwegian — Norsk
  • Odia (Oriya) — ଓଡ଼ିଆ
  • Oromo — Afaan Oromoo
  • Pashto — پښتو
  • Persian — فارسی
  • Polish — Polski
  • Portuguese — Português
  • Punjabi — ਪੰਜਾਬੀ
  • Quechua — Runa Simi
  • Romanian — Română
  • Russian — Русский
  • Samoan — Gagana Samoa
  • Sanskrit — संस्कृतम्
  • Scots Gaelic — Gàidhlig
  • Sepedi — Sepedi
  • Serbian — Српски
  • Sesotho — Sesotho
  • Shona — Shona
  • Sindhi — سنڌي
  • Sinhala — සිංහල
  • Slovak — Slovenčina
  • Slovenian — Slovenščina
  • Somali — Soomaali
  • Spanish — Español
  • Sundanese — Basa Sunda
  • Swahili — Kiswahili
  • Swedish — Svenska
  • Tajik — Тоҷикӣ
  • Tamil — தமிழ்
  • Tatar — Татар теле
  • Telugu — తెలుగు
  • Thai — ไทย
  • Tigrinya — ትግርኛ
  • Tsonga — Xitsonga
  • Turkish — Türkçe
  • Turkmen — Türkmençe
  • Twi — Twi
  • Ukrainian — Українська
  • Urdu — اردو
  • Uyghur — ئۇيغۇرچە
  • Uzbek — Oʻzbekcha
  • Vietnamese — Tiếng Việt
  • Welsh — Cymraeg
  • Xhosa — IsiXhosa
  • Yiddish — ייִדיש
  • Yoruba — Yorùbá
  • Zulu — IsiZulu
  • Breadcrumb

    1. Home
    2. Health and wellbeing
    3. Illnesses and conditions
    4. A to Z

    Joint pain

    Joint pain is a very common problem with many possible causes. But it's usually a result of injury or arthritis. In older people, joint pain that gets steadily worse is usually a sign of osteoarthritis. See your GP if you have persistent symptoms of osteoarthritis.

    Pain in just one joint

    The information on this page shouldn't be used to self-diagnose your condition. But it may give you a better idea of what's causing your pain. You should always see your GP for a diagnosis.

    Knee pain

    The knee joint is probably the most often damaged joint and is particularly vulnerable as it takes the full weight of your body.

    Knee pain isn't always a joint problem.

    Read about the most common causes of knee pain.

    Inflammation of the joint lining

    If you've injured the joint recently and it suddenly becomes painful again, the thin layer of tissue lining the joints and tendons may be inflamed. It usually doesn't cause any redness or heat.

    You should be able to manage injury-related swelling at home with anti-inflammatories, an ice pack and rest.

    Gout or pseudogout

    If the skin over the joint is hot and red, and the pain comes in repeated attacks, the cause is likely to be either gout or pseudogout.

    Both conditions are types of arthritis.

    Gout usually affects the joint of the big toe first, before affecting other joints.

    It's important to correctly diagnose gout, as treatment will prevent future attacks of joint pain and disability.

    Pseudogout is similar to gout, but usually affects the knee joint first.

    See your GP if you think you have either condition.

    Damage to the cartilage at the back of the kneecap

    Knee pain that feels worse when going up or down stairs could be a sign of a damaged kneecap. This shouldn't cause any redness or heat around the knee.

    The cause isn't really understood, but it can be linked to overuse of the knee.

    You can treat this problem yourself with anti-inflammatories, an icepack and rest.

    Bleeding into the joint space

    If you've recently had an injury to the knee joint, such as a torn ligament or knee fracture, it may cause bleeding into the joint spaces.

    This is more likely to happen to people on anticoagulants, such as warfarin.

    Signs of haemarthrosis are:

    • swelling of the knee
    • warmth
    • stiffness and bruising, which occur soon after the injury

    You should go to hospital immediately for treatment if you have a very swollen knee.

    Less common causes

    Sudden pain in a joint is less commonly caused by:

    • a fracture, such as a broken arm or wrist, broken leg, broken ankle or hip fracture
    • reactive arthritis – which usually develops after an infection and tends to affect young adults
    • psoriatic arthritis, which affects people with psoriasis
    • rheumatoid arthritis – which can start in just one joint, with the pain coming and going
    • Osgood-Schlatter's disease – swelling and tenderness over the bony bump just below the kneecap

    Rarely, the cause may be:

    • septic arthritis – a serious condition that causes a painful, hot, swollen joint that you won't be able to move (sometimes with fever) – see your GP urgently or go to your nearest emergency department
    • haemophilia – an inherited condition that affects the blood's ability to clot
    • a tropical infection
    • cancer
    • crumbling of the bone (avascular necrosis) – caused by a lack of blood supply
    • repeated dislocation of the joint

    Pain in many joints

    Rheumatoid arthritis

    Rheumatoid arthritis causes pain and swelling in the joints – usually the hands, feet and wrists.

    The pain may come and go in the early phases, with long periods between attacks.

    It can leave you feeling generally unwell and tired.

    Psoriatic arthritis

    Psoriatic arthritis affects up to one in five people with psoriasis.

    This type of arthritis is unpredictable, but flare-ups can usually be managed with treatment.

    Like other types of arthritis, it means that one or more of your joints are inflamed and become swollen, stiff, painful and difficult to move.

    A viral infection that causes arthritis

    Examples of viral infections which can cause pain in the joints and symptoms of a fever include:

    • viral hepatitis – liver inflammation caused by a virus
    • rubella – a viral infection that used to be common in children

    A disease of the connective tissue

    Widespread joint pain is sometimes a sign of a disease that affects almost all the organs of the body, such as:

    • lupus – where the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy cells, tissue and organs
    • scleroderma – where the immune system attacks connective tissue underneath the skin, causing hard, thickened areas of skin

    Less common causes

    Widespread joint pain can less commonly be caused by:

    • a rarer type of arthritis – such as ankylosing spondylitis, juvenile arthritis or reactive arthritis
    • Behçet’s syndrome – a rare and poorly understood condition that causes inflammation of the blood vessels
    • Henoch-Schönlein purpura – a rare condition, usually seen in children, that causes blood vessels to become inflamed
    • cancer
    • some medications – ask your pharmacist or GP for advice if you think your medication might be causing joint pain
    • hypertrophic pulmonary osteoarthropathy – a rare disorder that causes clubbing of the fingers, seen in people with lung cancer
    • sarcoidosis – a rare condition that causes small patches of tissue to develop in the organs

    More useful links

    • How to use your health services

    The information on this page has been adapted from original content from the NHS website.

    For further information see terms and conditions.

    Health conditions A to Z

    Or find conditions beginning with A to Z…

    Skip A to Z menu
    • A
    • B
    • C
    • D
    • E
    • F
    • G
    • H
    • I
    • J
    • K
    • L
    • M
    • N
    • O
    • P
    • Q
    • R
    • S
    • T
    • U
    • V
    • W
    • X
    • Y
    • Z

    Help improve this page - send your feedback

    What do you want to do?
    Report a problem
    Which problem did you find on this page? (Tick all that apply)

    Messages

    You will not receive a reply. We will consider your feedback to help improve the site.

    Don't include any personal or financial information, for example National Insurance, credit card numbers, or phone numbers.

    What is your question about?

    What to do next

    Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk 

    If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.  Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

    Carer's Allowance

    Call 0800 587 0912
    Email 
    dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

    Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

    Call 0800 587 2750 
    Email 
    customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

    Disability Living Allowance

    Call 0800 587 0912 
    Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

    Employment and Support Allowance

    Call 0800 587 1377

    Jobseeker’s Allowance

    Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

    Personal Independence Payment

    Call 0800 587 0932

    If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

    For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

    For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

    For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

    If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) section, then for queries about:

    • Restrictions or regulations — contact the Department of Health
    • Travel advice (including self-isolation) — contact the Department of Health
    • Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations — contact the Department of Health or Public Health Agency

    If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

    For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

    Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

    For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

    For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

    For queries about your GRONI account, email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk.

    For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme,  email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

    For queries about:

    • Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
      contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
       
    • Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
      contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

    If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

     

    For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

    For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

    For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

    If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

    If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

    For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

    For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

    For queries or advice about  60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.

    If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly.  We don't have access to information about you.

    Related sites

    • gov.uk
    • nibusinessinfo.co.uk

    Links to supporting information

    • Accessibility statement
    • Crown copyright
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy
    • Cookies
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • RSS