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What are the Most Common Causes of Joint Pain and Nausea?

Sarah Sullins
Sarah Sullins

Some of the most common causes of joint pain and nausea are pregnancy, influenza, and stress. These symptoms can also appear because of allergies or dehydration, as well as with a number of other less common conditions.

During pregnancy, a woman usually gains weight, and it is typically distributed in a different way than her body is used to. Her feet and ankles may experience more pressure than before the pregnancy, resulting in joint pain. Nausea is a common symptom for pregnant women and usually does not last past the first trimester, although some women experience nausea throughout the entire pregnancy. Joint pain and nausea may not occur at the same time during pregnancy.

Pregnancy often causes joint pain and nausea.
Pregnancy often causes joint pain and nausea.

Influenza, or the flu, is a viral infection that has many different symptoms. Sometimes a person may experience nausea and vomiting when she has the flu, or she may have other symptoms like fatigue and a sore throat. Joint pain and overall muscle weakness are often a common complaint of people who have influenza. Children, the elderly, and women who are pregnant are more likely to suffer from the flu. Those who work with the elderly or take care of children also have a higher likelihood of contracting a flu virus.

Pregnancy is a common cause of nausea.
Pregnancy is a common cause of nausea.

Stress is a very common cause of nausea and joint pain because person's emotions can cause strong physical symptoms. Too much stress can result in tense muscles around joints. Some physical symptoms of stress may be stomach upset, nausea, headaches, and fatigue. Mental or emotional symptoms often occur as well, which sometimes aggravate the physical symptoms.

The elderly may be more likely to suffer from headaches, nausea and joint pain caused by the flu.
The elderly may be more likely to suffer from headaches, nausea and joint pain caused by the flu.

Many people consider allergy symptoms to be simply sneezing and blood shot eyes, but joint pain and nausea can also occur. Sometimes a person experiences swelling around his joints when she comes into contact with something she is allergic to. Food allergies often result in a person feeling sick to his stomach. Other signs that sometimes occur with nausea include gas, vomiting, constipation, and ulcers.

Stress is a common cause os nausea and joint pain.
Stress is a common cause os nausea and joint pain.

Joint pain and nausea can also be the result of dehydration, when there is more water going out of the body than coming into it. Dehydration can also cause constipation, bulimia, and kidney stones. Pain in the joints because of dehydration is often a sign of the body crying out for water. Children and older adults are more at risk for dehydration because their kidneys do not function as well, and they have weaker immune systems.

Discussion Comments

wavy58

@feruze - The flu is the worst! I have only had it one time, but I will never forget it. It has been nineteen years since I got it, and I still think about it sometimes.

I had a high fever, so I was out of my head. I was too tired to get out of bed for a week. I ached all over, and I vomited several times for the first few days.

I knew whenever the nauseated feeling started up again that I would be vomiting within the hour. It was a terrible sensation, because I knew there was nothing I could do to stop it.

It took about six days before I started to feel normal. I have gotten a flu shot every year since then, because that is something I never want to go through again.

letshearit

@lonelygod - My mother is also depressed and she has sore joints and nausea as well. She found that the sore joints flared up too often for her to ignore, and that dealing with nausea on a daily basis was a real battle. Both symptoms actually turned out to be a result of a then undiagnosed thyroid problem.

If I were you I would get a second opinion on your condition to make sure that all avenues are explored. Did you know that joint pain and hypothyroidism can be closely related? What really surprised me were the number of symptoms that can be related to hypothyroidism. It really is shocking.

Oceana

I have a friend who drank nothing but soda. I don't ever think I saw her drink a bottle of water, even after working out.

Since soda dehydrates you, she kept needing to drink more and more of it. She had started to complain of joint pain, even though she was very young.

She has had more kidney stones for a young person than anyone I know. When she gets them, she has extreme nausea and a ton of pain.

Her doctor found out that she had been drinking only soda, and he told her that she was actually bringing this pain upon herself. She caused her own kidney stones and joint pain, and he told her that she had the power to stop them as well.

He told her to cut down to one soda per day and to drink plenty of water the rest of the day. She did this, and her pain went away. She was amazed that all she needed was water to treat her condition.

lonelygod

Is there a relation between joint pain and depression?

For the last few years I have been suffering from depression and find that I often feel sore all over and suffer from nausea. With my light headed nausea also comes a general feeling of malaise. It makes it very hard to get out of the bed sometimes.

My doctor has given me medication for my depression, and I take over-the-counter pain pills for my sore joints, but nothing seems to work on my nausea. I am beginning to wonder if it is caused by my own mind, rather than anything physical.

orangey03

@StarJo – Good for you! I'm glad you had the courage to leave that job. I have learned that sometimes the only way to deal with your pain is to leave a stressful situation behind.

I was living in a house with my friend and her husband to help them pay the bills. They fought constantly, and I did not grow up in an environment like this, so it brought on a lot of stress for me.

Before long, I had developed nausea, joint pain, and depression. My stomach would start to churn every time I heard them start to fight. I walked around all day with stiff joints.

I didn't know that the joint pain was related to the stress, but I figured that the nausea and depression were. Until I got out of there, I woke up hopeless and sad every day. After I moved out, I felt healthy and happy again.

StarJo

@fify – I went through the same thing. I had a ton of stress placed on me at my job, and I started to ache all over and be nauseated every single day.

As the senior designer, I had more responsibilities than my coworker. However, people started piling things up on me that he should have helped me out with, and I could literally feel my blood pressure rising.

Though exercise helped temporarily, my pain and nausea would return every morning once I started working. I took ibuprofen for my joints and some anti-nausea liquid for my stomach, but those were only short-term fixes.

I ended up leaving that job. It just wasn't worth living in physical misery. I feared that my symptoms would eventually progress to something more serious, like rheumatoid arthritis and ulcers.

fify

I experience joint pain and tiredness a lot. I even had tests done for rheumatism but the results came back normal.

My doctor has finally linked the problem to my stress levels and high blood pressure. He said that when I get stressed out, it causes my blood pressure to go up. The change in blood flow to my limbs is probably responsible for the pain in my joints. Just like the article mentioned, people who have stress and anxiety attack symptoms can feel like their joints are aching.

Whether I like it or no, my thoughts and emotions are having a negative impact on my body and how it functions. When I feel sick and have joint pain now, I go out for a walk and get some fresh air. When I'm calm and relaxed and my blood pressure is back to normal, these symptoms go away as well.

bear78

I always have the worst joint pain and nausea when I catch the flu. I'm usually unable to eat much because I feel very nauseated and my body aches. I guess it has to do with my body trying to beat the virus.

I know it's actually pretty common to feel this way when you're sick but if I'm alone, I get really worried that something bad is happening to me. It's great when my mom is there to take care of me. She makes really great herbal teas with honey and soups that soothe my stomach and make me feel better. She also makes sure that I get plenty of vitamins to help the joint pain and fatigue.

It's a horrible feeling to go through, but I guess it's inevitable when you're down with the flu virus. It generally goes away after the second or third day when my body has had time to recuperate a little bit.

burcidi

I think some medications also cause joint pain and nausea as a side effect. I know my mom experienced this with one of her medications that she was taking as part of her ulcer treatment. After a few days of taking it, she started having severe joint pain and also nausea. We didn't know why it was happening at first. After a while though, she realized that the symptoms only appear after she takes her medicine.

She told her doctor about it right away and they switched her to another medication. She didn't have any of these side effects on the new meds.

So this might be worth considering too if joint pain and nausea happen suddenly after starting a new drug treatment.

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    • Pregnancy often causes joint pain and nausea.
      By: Adam Gregor
      Pregnancy often causes joint pain and nausea.
    • Pregnancy is a common cause of nausea.
      By: LanaK
      Pregnancy is a common cause of nausea.
    • The elderly may be more likely to suffer from headaches, nausea and joint pain caused by the flu.
      By: Mikael Damkier
      The elderly may be more likely to suffer from headaches, nausea and joint pain caused by the flu.
    • Stress is a common cause os nausea and joint pain.
      By: bruno135_406
      Stress is a common cause os nausea and joint pain.
    • Symptoms of seasonal influenza may include nausea as well as joint and muscle pain.
      By: emde71
      Symptoms of seasonal influenza may include nausea as well as joint and muscle pain.
    • Nausea is often accompanied by vomiting due to a variety of conditions.
      By: Tom Wang
      Nausea is often accompanied by vomiting due to a variety of conditions.
    • Nausea is a sensation that generally occurs before an individual vomits.
      By: pathdoc
      Nausea is a sensation that generally occurs before an individual vomits.