Viral Causes of Joint Pain

Joint pain is caused by the inflammation of the joints themselves as well as the tissues surrounding the joints. Most people think of arthritis, a degenerative joint disorder, when they think of joint pain. Medline, a service of the National Library of Medicine, explains that joint pain can be caused not only from the aging process but also by several common viruses. Treatments for viral joint pain vary, depending on the specific cause. Unfortunately, there is no known prevention for viral joint pain.

Cause and Effect

• When fighting an illness, your immune system is called into action to "pull out all the stops," so to speak. In the process of fighting off a virus, your joints may become inflamed, causing aches.

Rubella

• Rubella, also known as German measles, is a virus that is characterized by fevers, muscle and joint pain, and a rash. Contracting rubella or being inoculated with the rubella vaccine is a cause of viral joint pain.

Parvovirus

• Many people do not know parvovirus by name but have come in contact with it. Fifth disease, a common childhood ailment, is caused by parvovirus. The main characteristic of fifth disease is a rash, but joint pain is also common in the hands and feet. Some people can feel the effects of parvovirus in their joints for many years after recovery.

Hepatitis B

• Liver diseases such as hepatitis B can cause joint pain. People who have hepatitis often have a symmetrical form of viral joint pain, meaning that they feel tenderness on both sides of their bodies.

HIV

• People who carry the HIV virus often experience joint pain as one of their symptoms as a result of their impaired immune systems. Joint pain in HIV patients most often occurs in the upper body, including the shoulders and elbows.

Reduce Inflammation

• Reducing inflammation is one of the ways to treat viral joint pain, no matter what the specific cause is. Ask your doctor if NSAIDs (non steroid anti-inflammatory drugs) are safe for you to take in an effort to relieve your pain.