Diagnosis of Arthritis

Diagnosing rheumatic diseases can be difficult because some symptoms are common to many different diseases. Your health care provider will first do a complete physical exam, looking for any swelling, redness, warmth, deformity, ease of movement, and tenderness in your joints. Your heart, lungs, eyes, ears, throat and other parts of your body may be examined as well. This is because some types of arthritis can affect your organs. Lab tests may also be ordered and samples of blood, urine, or synovial fluid may be taken. Your doctor may have you also see a rheumatologist, a doctor who specializes in arthritis.