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Tests and diagnosis

By Mayo Clinic staff

During the physical exam, your doctor may feel around your joint to determine exactly where your pain is coming from. Sometimes your doctor can feel a bone spur, though sometimes bone spurs form in spots that can't be easily felt.

To confirm a diagnosis, your doctor may order X-rays or other types of imaging tests to get a look at your joints and bones.

Treatments and drugs Preparing for your appointment
References
  1. Kalunian KC. Clinical manifestations of osteoarthritis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Dec. 22, 2011.
  2. Di Cesare PE, et al. Pathogenesis of osteoarthritis. In: Firestein GS, et al. Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-6/0/1807/0.html. Accessed Dec. 22, 2011.
  3. Questions and answers about spinal stenosis. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Spinal_Stenosis. Accessed Dec. 22, 2011.
  4. Mader R. Proliferative bone diseases. In: Firestein GS, et al. Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/208746819-6/0/1807/0.html. Accessed Dec. 22, 2011.
DS00627 March 7, 2012

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