Health Tip: Diagnosing Joint Pain
ByABC News
July 7, 2009, 10:44 AM
July 8 -- (HealthDay News) -- Joint pain has many possible causes, ranging from injury to arthritis.
To help your doctor diagnose a cause, it's important to fully discuss the details of your condition.
The U.S. National Library of Medicine offers this checklist:
- Which joint hurts, and which parts of the body are affected.
- If the pain just began, and whether you've felt it before.
- If the pain started severely or slowly, and if it is persistent or fluctuates.
- Any recent injuries, fevers or illnesses.
- What makes the pain feel better, and what makes it feel worse.
- Any other symptoms, including numbness or stiffness.
- Times of day that the pain is better, and times that it feels worse.