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A 60-year-old female asked:

Why do i have extreme joint pains and stiffness in hips, lower back, elbows, knees and feet? r.a. has been ruled out. my x- rays come back fine.

1 doctor answer1 doctor weighed in
Dr. John Velyvis
25 years experience
Multiple joint pain: Joint pain is either degenerative (osteoarthritis) or inflammatory. There are over 100 kinds of arthritis. If rheumatoid factor is negative, you would look to ESR and CRP first. There are a battery of tests that follow for rarer conditions as more common ones are ruled out. Disease Markers (RF, CCP, ANF/ANA) for example. A rheumatologist may be helpful, as well as your primary doc
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Dr. John Velyvis
undefined 25 years experience
Provided original answer
Correct. At this point, a rheumatologist is probably your best bet for a specialist. Diagnosis will probably require some tests, now that xrays have ruled out degenerative arthritis. Once a diagnosis is found, then appropriate treatment can be tried, including other specialists as indicated
Feb 16, 2015
Last updated Feb 3, 2019

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