Unexpected Joint Discomfort and Tiredness: 7 Potential Causes
Joint pain and fatigue can be distressing and debilitating symptoms, often leading to concerns about potential health issues. This article aims to provide an overview of several possible causes and their treatments.
Common Causes and Symptoms
- Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): Symmetrical joint pain, swelling, morning stiffness lasting 1-2 hours or more, fatigue, low fever, loss of appetite, dry eyes, dry mouth, and sometimes lumps near joints.
- Gout: Sudden acute pain and swelling in joints (commonly the big toe), redness, warmth without any injury.
- Osteoarthritis: Joint pain that worsens after inactivity or with use, stiffness lasting less than 30 minutes in the morning, grinding sensations in weight-bearing joints. Fatigue can occur from chronic pain and limited mobility.
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE): Joint pain and swelling similar to RA, fatigue, muscle aches, skin rashes, potential involvement of other organs leading to systemic symptoms.
- Post-Traumatic or Postsurgical Pain: Joint pain following an injury or surgery, with swelling and fatigue due to inflammation and healing processes.
- Infectious Arthritis (Septic Arthritis): Sudden severe joint pain, swelling, redness, warmth, fever, and fatigue. Usually affects one joint.
- Fibromyalgia and Central Sensitization: Widespread musculoskeletal pain, joint tenderness without inflammation, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and cognitive difficulties.
Treatment and Management
Treatment typically includes a combination of medication, physical therapy, lifestyle adjustments, and in some cases, immunosuppression or infection control. For instance, doctors usually recommend antibiotics to clear the infection in reactive arthritis and may suggest nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen, naproxen sodium, and aspirin to help with the pain.
Additional Considerations
- COVID-19 can also cause joint pain and fatigue.
- Lupus is an autoimmune condition that can cause joint pain, fatigue, skin problems, and issues with internal organs.
- Other potential causes of aching bones and tiredness include mononucleosis, vitamin D deficiency, calcium deficiency, Lyme disease, and more.
- Symptoms of Brucellosis include joint pain and fatigue as well as fever, headache, not wanting to eat, muscle pain, and back pain.
- Septic arthritis is a potentially serious condition that occurs when bacteria from an infection elsewhere in the body get into joints. It is treated with intravenous antibiotics and may involve draining the fluid from around the joint.
- Reactive arthritis is the result of an infection and can cause joint pain, inflammation in different parts of the body, eye problems, and pain when urinating. The bacteria most associated with reactive arthritis are Chlamydia trachomatis, Salmonella, Shigella, Yersinia, and Campylobacter.
- Influenza is a viral infection that affects the nose, throat, and lungs, and can cause sudden onset joint pain, fatigue, fever, chills, cough, runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea.
When to Seek Medical Help
Seek immediate help for severe or worrying symptoms related to joint pain and fatigue. If you experience sudden joint pain with fever or systemic symptoms, urgent medical evaluation is recommended to exclude infectious causes. People should contact a doctor if they experience joint problems that last for 3 days or more, or several episodes of joint symptoms within a month.
Additional signs a child may need emergency medical care include a fever, ribs pulling with each breath, lack of alertness or interaction when awake, refusing to walk, dry mouth, no urine for 8 hours, or no tears when crying.
Vaccine Side Effects
Aching and tiredness are common side effects of some vaccines, such as the COVID-19 vaccine. If these symptoms persist or become severe, it is advisable to consult a healthcare professional.
- Joint pain and fatigue are common symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a chronic inflammatory disease that can cause symmetrical joint pain, swelling, and morning stiffness.
- In addition to joint pain, gout can present with sudden acute pain and swelling, typically in the big toe, redness, warmth, and no injury.
- Osteoarthritis is characterized by joint pain that worsens after inactivity or with use, stiffness, and grinding sensations in weight-bearing joints, also leading to fatigue from chronic pain and limited mobility.
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) may cause joint pain and swelling similar to RA, fatigue, muscle aches, skin rashes, and potentially affect other organs leading to systemic symptoms.
- Post-traumatic or postsurgical pain occurs after an injury or surgery and can persist, causing joint pain, swelling, and fatigue due to inflammation and the healing process.
- Infectious arthritis, or septic arthritis, involves sudden severe joint pain, swelling, redness, warmth, fever, and fatigue, usually affecting one joint.
- Fibromyalgia and central sensitization can lead to widespread musculoskeletal pain, joint tenderness, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and cognitive difficulties.
- COVID-19 can cause joint pain and fatigue, two symptoms that are common side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine.
- Lupus is an autoimmune condition, with joint pain, fatigue, skin problems, and potentially issues with internal organs as symptoms.
- Other potential causes of aching bones and tiredness include mononucleosis, vitamin D deficiency, calcium deficiency, Lyme disease, and more.
- Symptoms of Brucellosis include joint pain and fatigue, fever, headache, not wanting to eat, muscle pain, and back pain.
- Septic arthritis is a serious condition treated with intravenous antibiotics and may involve draining fluid from around the joint.
- Reactive arthritis can cause joint pain, inflammation in different parts of the body, eye problems, and pain when urinating, and is associated with Chlamydia trachomatis, Salmonella, Shigella, Yersinia, and Campylobacter bacteria.
- Influenza causes sudden onset joint pain, fatigue, fever, chills, cough, runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, and affects the nose, throat, and lungs.
- Seek immediate medical help for severe or worrying symptoms related to joint pain and fatigue, or consult a doctor for joint problems lasting 3 days or more, or several episodes within a month.
- Critical signs a child may need emergency medical care include fever, ribs pulling with each breath, lack of alertness, refusing to walk, dry mouth, no urine for 8 hours, and no tears when crying.
