Pain in and around a single joint

[Dave Paprocki]

Patients may report quot;jointquot; pain regardless of whether the cause involves the joint itself or surrounding (periarticular) structures such as tendons and bursae; in both cases, pain in or around a single joint will be referred to as monoarticular pain. Pain originating within a joint (arthralgia) may be caused by joint inflammation (arthritis). Inflammation tends to result in accumulation of intra-articular fluid (effusion) and clinical findings of warmth, swelling, and uncommonly erythema. With effusion, prompt assessment is essential to exclude infection. Acute monoarticular pain is sometimes caused by a disorder that characteristically causes polyarticular pain (eg, rheumatoid arthritis) and thus may be the initial manifestation of a polyarthritis (eg, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis—see Pain in Multiple Joints).