2/13 Joints 101 and some terminology

Question 1

Name all of the features of the joint

Answer 1

Things to note:

articular cartilage - not covered by synovial membrane

Synovium - nourishes the cartilage, notice how far up and down it extends; with autoimmune dz, this can get thickened and can erode into bone at narrower parts of bone structure.

Question 2

What are the 6 red flags of joint pain?

Answer 2

Fevers, rigors, weight loss
No comfortable position
Wakes from sleep
Loss of function
Trauma
Malignancy

Question 3

What is the mnemonic device for joint history?

Answer 3

C = character of the pain

O = onset of pain

L = location of pain

D = duration of symptoms

P = provocative factors

L = lessens the pain

A = associated systemic sxs

Y = your family history (most important)

Question 4

What is the difference between these terminology when describing joint pain?

monoarthritis

Oligoarthritis

Axial

Symmetric/Polyarticular

Answer 4

mono - single joint

oligo - few scattered joints

axial - spine, shoulder, hips

symmetric/polyarticular - both hands, wrists, knees, etc

Question 5

What should you do with joint fluid that you’ve obtained from a patient with joint pain?

Answer 5

culture it and look for white blood cells

(few = degenerative)
(many = inflammatory synovial disease)

Does it contain crystals, blood, marrow elements, or tumor cells?

Question 6

What is the difference between Arthralgia vs. Arthritis?

Answer 6

Arthralgia - joint pain associated with a NORMAL joint on XRay

Arthritis: joint pain associated with an ABNORMAL/damaged joint on XRay