The medical history (history of the patient) represents an important component in the diagnosis of bone pain. Family history Is there a history of frequent bone and/or joint disease in your family? Are there frequent tumor diseases? Social history What is your profession? Current medical history/systemic history (somatic and psychological complaints). How long has the … Bone Pain: Medical History
Blood, blood-forming organs – immune system (D50-D90). Eosinophilic granulomatosis – appearance of granulocytes as a space-occupying mass in bone; occurs in childhood; radiographic characteristic is rapidly progressive osteolysis (bone loss; bone dissolution). The foci are usually without reactive margins in the skull roof, oval in the extremities, where they are located in the diaphyses (bone … Bone Pain: Or something else? Differential Diagnosis
A comprehensive clinical examination is the basis for selecting further diagnostic steps: General physical examination – including blood pressure, pulse, body weight, height; further: Inspection (viewing). Skin (normal: intact; abrasions/wounds, redness, hematomas (bruises), scars) and mucous membranes. Gait (fluid, limping). Body or joint posture (upright, bent, gentle posture). Malpositions (deformities, contractures, shortenings). Muscle atrophies (side … Bone Pain: Examination
1st order laboratory parameters – obligatory laboratory tests. Small blood count Differential blood count Inflammatory parameters – CRP (C-reactive protein) or ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate). Electrolytes – calcium, phosphate Alkaline phosphatase (AP) – if bone changes such as bone metastases, osteoporosis (bone loss), osteomalacia (bone softening), etc. are suspected. Renal parameters – urea, creatinine, if … Bone Pain: Test and Diagnosis
Therapy for bone pain depends on the cause. Complementary treatment methods Acupuncture – for pain management
Therapy goals Pain relief Diagnosis finding Therapy recommendations Symptomatic therapy (analgesia/pain relief) until definitive therapy when diagnosis is confirmed according to WHO staging scheme: Non-opioid analgesic (paracetamol, first-line agent). Low-potency opioid analgesic (e.g., tramadol) + non-opioid analgesic. High-potency opioid analgesic (eg, morphine) + non-opioid analgesic. See also under “Further therapy“.
Optional medical device diagnostics – depending on the results of the history, physical examination, and obligatory laboratory parameters – for differential diagnostic clarification. Osteodensitometry (bone density measurement) – for suspected osteoporosis (bone loss). X-ray of the affected body region Computed tomography (CT; sectional imaging procedure (X-ray images from different directions with computer-based evaluation), particularly well … Bone Pain: Diagnostic Tests
The following symptoms and complaints may indicate bone pain: Stabbing Burning Tearing Dull Bone pain may be localized or generalized.
