Exams and Tests

Doctors usually diagnose osteoarthritis by evaluating your symptoms and doing a physical exam. Sometimes your doctor will include other tests in the evaluation. The following tests can confirm the diagnosis or rule out other conditions with similar symptoms:

• Joint fluid analysis
• X-ray. See X-rays showing osteoarthritis of the hip and osteoarthritis of the knee.
• Arthroscopy (rarely done)
• Urinalysis
• Blood tests
  • 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

If you have symptoms in more than one joint, your doctor should evaluate each joint individually so that he or she does not overlook any other medical cause for your symptoms.³