Joint Disorders

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• No links available

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Teenagers
• Older Adults
• Patient Handouts

Summary

A joint is where two or more bones come together, like the knee, hip, elbow, or shoulder. Joints can be damaged by many types of injuries or diseases, including

• Arthritis - inflammation of a joint. It causes pain, stiffness, and swelling. Over time, the joint can become severely damaged.
• Bursitis - inflammation of a fluid-filled sac that cushions the joint
• Dislocations - injuries that force the ends of the bones out of position

Treatment of joint problems depends on the cause. If you have a sports injury, treatment often begins with the RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) method to relieve pain, reduce swelling, and speed healing. Other possible treatments include pain relievers, keeping the injured area from moving, rehabilitation, and sometimes surgery. For arthritis, injuries, or other diseases, you may need joint replacement surgery to remove the damaged joint and put in a new one.

NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Start Here

• Healthy Joints Matter (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Bone X-Ray (Radiography) (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Direct Arthrography (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Joint Aspiration (Arthrocentesis) (Nemours Foundation)
• MRI of the Musculoskeletal System (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Synovial Fluid Analysis (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Cortisone Shots (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Joint and Soft Tissue Injections (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Joint Injections (Joint Aspirations) (American College of Rheumatology) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Bone and Joint Problems Associated with Diabetes (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Hypothyroidism: Does It Cause Joint Pain? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Knuckle Cracking (Johns Hopkins Medicine)
• Overuse Injury: How to Prevent Training Injuries (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Extra-Abdominal Desmoid Tumors (Aggressive Fibromatoses) (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
• Joint Hypermobility: What Causes Loose Joints? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Osteochondritis Dissecans (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Sacroiliitis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Synovial Chondromatosis (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)

Genetics

• Distal arthrogryposis type 1: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Kuskokwim syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Progressive pseudorheumatoid dysplasia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Sheldon-Hall syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Trichorhinophalangeal syndrome type I: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Arthrography (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Arthroplasty (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Arthroscopy (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Joint Diseases (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Three-Dimensional Finite Element Analysis and Biomechanical Analysis of Midfoot von Mises...
• Article: Relationship between hospital specialization and health outcomes in patients with nonsurgical...
• Article: Current Clinical Concepts: Synthesizing the Available Evidence for Improved Clinical Outcomes...
• Joint Disorders -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Arthritis Foundation: Local Office Directory (Arthritis Foundation)
• Find a Rheumatologist (American College of Rheumatology)
• National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Also in Spanish

Children

• Arthrogryposis (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Healthy Joints Matter (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)

Teenagers

• Bones, Muscles, and Joints: The Musculoskeletal System (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Older Adults

• Joint Problems (AGS Foundation for Health in Aging)

Patient Handouts

• Hypermobile joints (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Joint pain (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Joint swelling (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Joint x-ray (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Limited range of motion (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Steroid injections - tendon, bursa, joint (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish