Lab tests to differente causes of joint pain
Which laboratory tests are helpful in differentiating causes of joint pain
Laboratory and Imaging Evaluations to Help Differentiate Causes of Joint PainAdapted from Cassidy JE et al: Textbook of pediatric rheumatology, ed 6, Philadelphia 2011, WB Saunders.
| Test | Conditions in which Test may be Helpful |
|---|---|
| Complete blood count, differential, platelets | Leukemia (if blasts on smear) |
| Infections in bones, joints, muscles | |
| Systemic connective tissue diseases | |
| Sedimentation rate | Infections |
| Systemic connective tissue diseases | |
| Inflammatory bowel disease | |
| Tumors | |
| Radiographs | All bone tumors, malignant and benign |
| Osteomyelitis (chronic) | |
| Discitis (late) | |
| Fractures | |
| Scoliosis | |
| Rickets | |
| Slipped capital femoral epiphysis | |
| Legg–Calvé–Perthes disease | |
| Leukemia (leukemic lines on x-ray) | |
| Bone scan | Osteomyelitis (acute and chronic) |
| Discitis | |
| Osteoid osteoma | |
| Malignancies (leukemia, bone tumors, and metastases) | |
| Infarction of bone | |
| Complex regional pain syndrome | |
| Muscle enzymes | Inflammatory muscle disease |
| Muscular dystrophy | |
| Rhabdomyolysis |
