Technically, any type of inflammation in the joint can be called arthritis – because the root meanings of the word “arthro” – is joint and “itis” is inflammation – arthritis meaning inflammation of the joint. However, not all causes of inflammation of the joint are the same and not all causes of inflammation are chronic and alarming. In this article, I’m going to discuss the how’s and why’s of joint soreness, when the pain is from overuse and not a big concern and when you need to get it checked out by a physician like me to see if you do have arthritis.
The classic definition of arthritis is the wearing away or erosion of the cartilage that covers the interior joint surfaces that glide together – over time, with enough wear and tear, eventually exposing bone. This is the arthritis that keeps the physicians at OSC busy replacing knees, hips, shoulders and ankles, and also working on spines every single day.
Are there diseases, illnesses or conditions that cause joint pain that aren’t arthritis? Yes, there are. Some of these are temporary illnesses that we experience for a week or two and then they go away. Some can last for a lifetime and are caused by diseases that cannot be cured which cause severe joint pain. The list that follows is not all inclusive:
- Influenza
- Pneumonia
- COVID
- Long COVID
- Reactive Arthritis
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Menopause
- Gout
- Autoimmune Conditions
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Psoriatic Arthritis
- Lupus
- Ankylosing Spondylitis
- Cancer (Bone and other forms of cancer)
Any of us can have joint soreness if we overuse a specific joint and put a bit too much stress on it and the surrounding muscles, tendons and ligaments. Soreness typically results from a build-up of lactic acid, toxins and micro-tears in our muscles from overuse. Our tendons and ligaments may also be stretched and have tiny micro-tears from being over worked, especially if we’ve done an activity that we aren’t used to doing or worked muscles that aren’t strong. Soreness is that “red-flag” our body sends us that says “Hey, I need a break – give me some rest!”
What symptoms should you look for, that could distinguish simple joint pain and soreness from arthritis? Take a look at the table below for some clues…
| Symptom | Joint Pain/Soreness | Arthritis |
| Stiffness upon waking/after sitting still | often | often |
| Joint Pain with movement | often | often |
| Joint Pain without movement | rarely | often |
| Instability/weakness | rarely | often |
| Dysfunction/reduction in daily activities | rarely | often |
| Swelling/Redness/warmth | rarely | often |
| Symptoms go away after home treatment | usually | rarely |
| Responds to warmth | maybe | often |
| Responds to cold | Often, if acute injury | rarely |
| Responds to NSAIDS | usually | usually with mild arthritis; less so with disease progression |
| Resolves completely | usually | never |
This table is not a be-all and end-all for your joint pain, but it does give you some important factors for which to look – most importantly, that non-arthritis joint pain will typically resolve with home treatments after a week or two. Arthritis is a chronic disease that can wax and wane over time but is progressive and will never go away once it has started. We can slow its progression, work on stopping or managing the pain and modify the disease – heck, we can even replace the joint completely, but we can’t do anything to cure arthritis – yet.
I trust that this article gave you enough information to discern the difference between a sore joint from a weekend football game and an arthritic knee that is in need of replacement, simply by comparing the symptomology and how each symptom responds to treatment.