Arthritis versus arthralgia

Arthritis is joint inflammation. It typically includes:

  • Joint pain (arthralgia)
  • Joint warmth or redness
  • Joint swelling

Arthritis does not include joint symptoms due to hemorrhage or due to trauma. Although these can include some inflammation, the underlying cause is not inflammation.

Arthralgia can occur without joint inflammation. Some examples are:

  • trauma
  • bone or epiphyseal dysplasia, or damage due to a storage disease
  • avascular necrosis of a joint
  • pain amplification syndromes

Joint redness can occur without joint inflammation, for example in complex regional pain syndrome.

Joint swelling can occur without joint inflammation. some examples are:

  • hemorrhage
  • hypermobility
  • storage diseases