Can gall stones lead to pain elsewhere in the body?

Q: I have a 7 mm gallbladder stone. Can you please advise me - can it cause joint pains or any other pain in the body? Since the last 10 months, I am suffering from pain in the knee joints and the lower abdomen - all reports are normal for lower abdomen - and I did not take any medicines for gallbladder and for pains.

A:Gall bladder stones do cause abdominal pain felt in the right upper quadrant pain and in the back. It does not cause pain elsewhere in the body. It can of course also cause jaundice and pancreatitis which is really the worrying complication of gallstones. There is also a relationship with development of gall bladder cancer. However this risk is very very small.