Definition. Arthralgia means pain in a joint. Polyarthralgia means pain in several joints (two or more for the purposes of this discussion). Arthritis is a diagnosis and is not a symptom; its diagnosis requires the physical signs of articular inflammation or the physical or roentgenographic signs of osteoarthritis. The major disorders associated with arthritis (and hence with arthralgia) are summarized in Table 159.2 in the preceding chapter.