Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffWhile you may initially bring your concerns to your family physician, he or she may refer you to a rheumatologist, a doctor who specializes in joint disorders.
What you can do
You may want to write a list that includes:
- Detailed descriptions of your symptoms
- Information about medical problems you've had
- Information about the medical problems of your parents or siblings
- All the medications and dietary supplements you take
- Questions you want to ask the doctor
What to expect from your doctor
During the physical exam, your doctor will closely examine your affected joint, checking for tenderness, swelling or redness. He or she will also check the joint's range of motion.
- Handout on health: Osteoarthritis. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Osteoarthritis/default.asp. Accessed July 22, 2009.
- Mercier LR. Osteoarthritis. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2009. 1st ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/152079048-3/0/1701/412.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-04134-8..50018-5--subchapter11_8824. Accessed July 22, 2009.
- Osteoarthritis. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00227. Accessed July 22, 2009.
- Lane NE, et al. Osteoarthritis. In: Goldman L, et al. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/152079048-3/0/1492/1009.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2805-5..50288-3_12790. Accessed July 22, 2009.
- Kalunian KC. Risk factors for and possible causes of osteoarthritis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 31, 2009.
- Kalunian KC. Diagnosis and classification of osteoarthritis. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 31, 2009.
- Ehrlich GE. Osteoarthritis. In: Rakel RE, et al. Conn's Current Therapy 2008. 60th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/152079048-4/869009174/1621/497.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-4435-2..50250-8_3948. Accessed July 22, 2009.
- Solomon DH. NSAIDs: Overview of adverse effects. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 10, 2009.
- Arthritis Foundation life improvement series programs. Arthritis Foundation. http://www.arthritis.org/programs.php. Accessed July 31, 2009.
- Hunder GG. Mayo Clinic Straight Talk on Arthritis. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2006:230.
- Nutrition and dietary supplements. In: Firestein GS. Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/153389597-3/872979471/1807/236.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3285-4..10034-8--s0250_930. Accessed Aug. 10, 2009.
- Ginger. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed July 31, 2009.
- Chondroitin sulfate. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed July 31, 2009.
- Avocado. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed July 31, 2009.
