Joint pain is rarely an emergency. Mild joint pain often can be cared for at home.

Make an appointment with your health care provider if you have joint pain and:

• Swelling.
• Redness.
• Tenderness and warmth around the joint.
• Fever.

See a health care provider right away if an injury causes joint pain and:

• The joint looks out of shape.
• You can't use the joint.
• The pain is severe.
• There's sudden swelling.

Self-care

When caring for mild joint pain at home, follow these tips:

• Try pain relievers you can get without a prescription. These include ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or naproxen sodium (Aleve).
• Don't move in ways that make the pain worse.
• Apply ice or a package of frozen peas to the painful joint for 15 to 20 minutes a few times each day.
• Apply a heating pad, soak in a warm tub or take a warm shower to relax muscles and increase blood flow.