Pain in multiple joints (Polyarthralgia)
Do you have multiple joint pains?
✔ Joint pain
✔ Aching joints
✔ Swelling
✔ Stiffness
✔ Redness of joints
✔ Joint warm to touch
If you are impacted by pain in multiple joints, like shoulders, hands, knees, and hips, you’ll understand just how much of an impact it can have on your quality of life. Joint pain can lead to loss of dexterity, movement, and independence.
Our goal is to improve your pain and your quality of life whilst helping you feel supported and confident about how to manage your condition.
How The London Rheumatology and MSK Clinic can help you
Dr Naveen Bhadauria is a highly experienced Consultant Rheumatologist in London. He is passionate about achieving early and accurate diagnosis for each of his patients in order to provide effective treatment and improve their lives. After all, accurate diagnosis is vital for getting the correct interventions – particularly when it comes to inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.
Specialist expertise and experience
Access to other trusted top specialists
High quality care with no waiting list
Evidence-led treatments
Why do my joints hurt?
What causes pain in multiple joints? There are many potential causes of joint pain. It may be completely harmless but it’s vital to see a skilled rheumatologist, like Dr Naveen Bhadauria, who can accurately diagnose your joint pain and rule out anything more sinister.
Osteoarthritis
We find the majority of people with multiple joint pains will have mechanical wear and tear, what we refer to as osteoarthritis. This is when the cartilage between the joints breaks down over time from use and is strongly associated with ageing.
Rheumatoid arthritis
However, some will have rheumatoid arthritis which is a highly damaging condition that needs to be diagnosed as early as possible. This inflammatory condition is immune mediated which means it’s caused by the immune system attacking the joints.
Other causes of multiple joint pain
Multiple joint pain (polyarthralgia) could also be caused by gout, low vitamin D levels, underactive thyroid and even viral infections. It can also be due to a chronic pain syndrome such as fibromyalgia. Although more rare, it could even be a sign of more serious illnesses like cancer.
Diagnosing pain in multiple joints
Accurate and early diagnosis is vital when it comes to multiple joint pains. This is where a private rheumatologist can be extremely beneficial. Rather than joining a long waiting list, you can seek help directly from a skilled and experienced specialist in joint pain.
Diagnosis of multiple joint pains is by exclusion. Dr Naveen Bhadauria will begin by reviewing your full medical history, family history and symptoms. He will follow this with an examination. He is incredibly thorough – you’ll feel listened to and won’t be rushed.
Dr Bhadauria says: “Early diagnosis of joint pain can make a big difference in improving quality of life, managing pain, preventing worsening of disease, and reducing the need for major surgeries like joint replacement.”
Dr Bhadauria will then recommend the most appropriate testing based on your individual situation. This will often include blood tests and X-rays (which can be carried out on the same day), but in some instances more in-depth testing such as ultrasound and MRIs may be required.
Treatment for multiple joint pains
Dr Bhadauria provides evidence-based treatments for joint pain to give you peace of mind. Treatment will vary depending on its underlying cause and your individual history and needs.
When it comes to treatments for joint wear and tear (osteoarthritis), the mainstay of managing this and lowering the chance of disability is good quality physiotherapy and joint strengthening exercises, combined with painkillers and/or anti-inflammatories.
Inflammatory conditions, like rheumatoid arthritis, must be controlled with specialised medications called immunosuppressants (DMARDs). These are used to lower inflammation in the lining of the joints, prevent its progression and further damage to the tissues, manage the disease, and reduce the need for joint replacement. DMARDs will usually be prescribed in conjunction with physiotherapy, painkillers, and lifestyle therapy (like a low inflammation diet).
FAQs
The main symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis are pain and tenderness, stiffness, swelling, redness and warmth in the joints. This is usually worse at the start of the day or after being inactive. You may also notice symptoms in the rest of the body. Those with the condition often report feeling tired, having a temperature, poor appetite and weight loss. You may experience some but not all of these symptoms, and they can come and go.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic progressive disease caused by inflammation as a result of the immune system attacking itself. Rheumatoid arthritis can damage the tissue and cartilage in the joints, and even the bone, if not correctly managed, which is why early diagnosis and management is so vital. The National institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends assessment by a rheumatologist within 3 weeks of symptoms that could suggest rheumatoid arthritis as early diagnosis and management is vitally important to establish good control of this condition.
“Arthritis” itself isn’t a condition, it is a general term used to describe joint diseases and conditions impacting the joints. In fact, there are more than 100 different types of arthritis affecting 10 million people in the UK alone – that’s 1 in 6 – according to Versus Arthritis. These include osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gout, psoriatic arthritis, and lupus. Osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are two of the most common forms of arthritis.
Osteoarthritis is a very common form of arthritis affecting 450,000 (Versus Arthritis) people in the UK. It is characterised by natural wear and tear of the joint tissues, cartilage and bone. It is thought to be the most common form of arthritis in the UK and is more common as people get older. Those with osteoarthritis will usually experience pain in the mornings and after exercise. Joints can become swollen and red.
Rheumatoid arthritis occurs in around 190,000 (Versus Arthritis) people in the UK. Symptoms of this chronic progressive disease include multiple joint pains, stiffness and swelling. It is not caused by wear and tear but by inflammation caused by the immune system attacking itself. The pain tends to improve on activity.
Pain in any part of your body is not normal. If you are experiencing pain in your joints you should seek the advice of a healthcare professional. Although it could be harmless, pain in multiple joints can have more serious causes that require detailed investigations and swift treatment.
I saw Dr Bhadauria here on Tuesday, and I can honestly say that he is one of the best doctors I’ve ever seen and been assessed by. He listened to every single one of my symptoms, asked through questions and diagnosed me based on the medical history and testing that I have had done in the past. This diagnosis has been a long winded process, with me seeing lots of different doctors and being told that the pain I feel is “in my head”, or that “it must be my hormones”. Dr Bhadauria has put all that to bed, and now I can finally start the path to feel better and have more support in my life. If you are thinking of seeing Dr Bhadauria, I would fully encourage you to do so. Thank you again for all your help.
