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Stanford Health Care

Osteoarthritis Symptoms

How is osteoarthritis diagnosed?

Your doctor can often diagnose arthritis by examining you and asking questions about your joint pain, when it started, and when it happens. Your doctor will also ask about fever or weight loss. Your answers help your doctor make sure that something else is not causing your symptoms.

You may also have an X-ray (such as an X-ray of the hip or knee) or other imaging tests to check for joint damage.

You may have a joint fluid study or blood and urine tests to make sure another condition is not causing your joint symptoms. Blood tests may include:

  • Complete blood count (CBC).
  • Rheumatoid factor (RF).
  • Antinuclear antibody (ANA).
  • Sedimentation rate (sed rate).
  • C-reactive protein (CRP).
  • Chemistry screen.
  • Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH).
  • Ferritin.

Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are research studies that evaluate a new medical approach, device, drug, or other treatment. As a Stanford Health Care patient, you may have access to the latest, advanced clinical trials.

Open trials refer to studies currently accepting participants. Closed trials are not currently enrolling, but may open in the future.

Open Trials Closed Trials

Clinics for Symptoms