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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staff
Imaging tests
If it appears that something else may be causing the discomfort, your physician may request an X-ray of the affected area. If bursitis is the cause, X-ray images can't positively establish the diagnosis, but they can help to exclude other causes of your discomfort.
Lab tests
Although you usually can trace bursitis to events of overuse or pressure, there may be no obvious cause. In the latter case, your doctor may want to perform additional screening to rule out other causes of joint inflammation and pain. This may include blood tests or an analysis of fluid from the inflamed bursa.
- Sheon RP. Bursitis: An overview of clinical manifestations, diagnosis and management. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 17, 2009.
- Koutouzis T, et al. Tendinopathy and bursitis. In: Marx JA, et al. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier: 2006. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/150230519-3/863979815/1365/357.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-02845-4..50120-7--cesec26_5866. Accessed July 17, 2009.
- Wong AL, et al. Bursitis, tendonitis, myofascial pain and fibromyalgia. In: Rakel RE, et al. Conn's Current Therapy 2008. 60th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/151179629-3/866218324/1621/495.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4435-2..50249-1--cesec14_3920. Accessed July 20, 2009.
- Questions and answers about bursitis and tendonitis. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bursitis/default.asp. Accessed July 21, 2009.
- Tendonitis/Bursitis. American College of Rheumatology. http://www.rheumatology.org/public/factsheets/diseases_and_conditions/tendonitis.asp. Accessed July 21, 2009.
