Approach to Joint Pain Diagnosis

When tackling joint pain, it is essential to consider if the pain occurs in active or passive motion to differentiate between periarticular structures like bursa or tendon and joint problems. Pathophysiology helps identify the source of pain, with septic arthritis being a critical diagnosis to rule out due to various spread mechanisms and risk factors like prior joint disease or exposure to certain organisms. In cases like this, a thorough evaluation, including arthrocentesis, is crucial to confirm or rule out septic arthritis.