Evaluation Of Single Joint Pain Through History And Physical Examination

Patients may report "joint" pain regardless of whether the cause involves the joint itself or surrounding (periarticular) structures such as tendons and bursae; in both cases, pain in or around a single joint will be referred to as monoarticular pain. Pain originating within a joint (arthralgia) may be caused by joint inflammation (arthritis). Inflammation tends to result in accumulation of intra-articular fluid (effusion) and clinical findings of warmth, swelling, and uncommonly erythema.

With effusion, prompt assessment is essential to exclude infection. Acute monoarticular pain is sometimes caused by a disorder that characteristically causes polyarticular pain (eg, RA) and thus may be the initial manifestation of a polyarthritis (eg, psoriatic arthritis, RA) Evaluation Clinical evaluation should determine whether the joint or periarticular structures are the cause of symptoms and…