Yes, it can certainly cause joint pain and muscle aches---like they say, flue like symptoms.

The reason hep c can cause problems like pain, is that your liver is like your bodies filter and when something is wrong with it, it affects your entire body. Here are some links to explain what the liver really does for you. I think learning about the liver helps us learn about our disease too
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liver
http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/uvahealth/adult_liver/liver.cfm
And here's a longer, more indepth article
http://healthylivingtoday.wordpress.com/2008/02/04/your-liver-and-its-job/

Hep c can cause Fibromyaglia (which it did me) and that will cause your muscles and joints to ache more. Fibromyaglia is basically an general pain disorder that's non-specific (it can be every and anywhere.)

Here are the symptoms of fibromyaglia and see if this is what you are feeling.
http://www.fmnetnews.com/basics-symptoms.php

The virus can cause other diseases as well, like arthritis. Here is a link talking about the different disease/illnesses hep c can cause.

http://www.hcvadvocate.org/hcsp/articles/Bonkovsky-2.html

If I recall, you're not on treatment right now are you? (sorry brain fog -I can't remember). If you are, the treatment can cause arthritis conditions to be worse.

The neupogen shots I now take are really painful. Just seems to hurt my bones more than the joints. Hope you get better. We just have to deal with this in our own way. Good luck to ya sister.

I've been taking sam-e and it has helped with the joint pain.Rmember our livers are our bodies filter, filtering out the bad things, if it doesn't work properly are whole bodies will not work properly.

I guess that would make sense that since our liver is the filter it would affect a lot of other things. And yes I do have all the symptoms of Fibromyalgia, that is what we thought it might be orginally. But I did see that for Hep C the symptoms were joint and muscle pain as well. I just didn't really understand the connection, being Hep C is a liver disease. I don't have the other symptoms such as the extreme fatigue, loss of appetite, jaundice, dark urine. I just have pain. And no I'm not on TX yet. I go for my bx on the 17th. Thanks everyone for ths reply's I really appreciate it.

I have been out of TX since sept. 07. So far I am still free of the virus.
Here is my thing, I have muscle pain in my legs that just drive me nuts!! Joint pain in my hands and shoulders. I didn't hurt this much on TX!!!(well, not every day) Go figure