Joint Pain Treatment

Medically reviewed by Joshua L. Hare, DO, Founder & Medical Director

Joint pain in the knee, hip, shoulder, elbow or wrist

Joint pain can affect any joint in the body and may result from injury, overuse, arthritis, bursitis, tendinitis,[1] or autoimmune conditions. Whether the pain is in the knee, hip, shoulder, elbow, or wrist, it can significantly impact mobility, sleep, and quality of life. At IPC, we take a comprehensive approach to diagnosing and treating joint pain. After a thorough evaluation that may include imaging studies and diagnostic injections, our specialists develop a personalized treatment plan. Options include corticosteroid injections for rapid inflammation reduction, viscosupplementation (hyaluronic acid) for knee osteoarthritis, genicular nerve blocks and radiofrequency ablation for chronic knee pain, and regenerative medicine approaches like PRP therapy for tissue healing.

Symptoms of joint pain

Joint pain has many causes, and the accompanying features usually narrow it faster than the pain's severity does.

• Pain during or after using the joint, often with a predictable movement that reproduces it
• Stiffness after rest, particularly first thing in the morning
• Swelling, warmth, or visible enlargement compared with the other side
• Clicking, grinding or catching during movement
• A sense that the joint may give way, or genuine episodes of it buckling
• Reduced range of motion — reaching, kneeling, gripping or climbing stairs becoming harder

Whether one joint or several are involved is clinically important: a single painful joint suggests a local cause such as injury, osteoarthritis or bursitis, while several joints involved symmetrically raises the possibility of an inflammatory condition that is managed differently.

When to see a pain specialist about joint pain

Arrange an evaluation if joint pain has lasted more than about six weeks, is limiting activity, is waking you at night, or is not responding to rest, activity changes and over-the-counter medication.

A specialist assessment is especially worthwhile if you have been told your joint is not yet bad enough for surgery, or that you are too young for replacement. Image-guided joint injections, nerve blocks and radiofrequency procedures are designed for that interval, and ultrasound or X-ray guidance means the medication reaches the intended target rather than the tissue around it.

A joint that becomes hot, red and severely painful over hours, especially with a fever, needs same-day assessment. So does a joint that is locked, will not bear weight, or was visibly deformed by an injury.

Treatment options for joint pain

Which of the options below applies depends on which joint is involved, and on whether the pain is coming from the joint surface, the bursa around it, or the nerves supplying it.

References

Clinical sources for this page.

1. National Library of Medicine, MedlinePlus. Joint Disorders. Back to first citation ↑