Diagnosis & Testing

Ask your doctor about appropriate bone and joint therapy if:

• Your ability to work or enjoy hobbies is hindered
• Pain limits your activities
• Your pain persists even when the joint is at rest, making sleep difficult
• You have undergone non-surgical treatments, such as medications and physical therapy, and are still experiencing substantial pain
• Your pain is so severe that you avoid using the afflicted joints
• You reach a point where your life seems to revolve around your pain

Together, you and your physician can weigh the benefits of different orthopedic treatment options. Additional information about diagnosing and treating bone and joint conditions is available for procedures such as:

• Arthrocentesis (closed joint aspiration)
• Bone scintigraphy (radionuclide bone scan)
• Cerebrospinal fluid tap (lumbar puncture)
• CT scans
• DEXA (bone mineral density testing)
• Diskography (detects herniated disk)
• Fiberoptic joint examination
• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
• Myelography (detects herniated disk)
• X-ray