Bone pain: what to think?

Bone pain is less reported by patients during a medical consultation sign. It is true that often complains of joint pain or muscle pain ... However, the physician must listen to his patient, and directs his diagnosis based on their complaints. Before bone pain, so what to think?
Bone pain is a sign that is often overlooked by patients, but which must be taken seriously.

Bone pain itself is often poorly expressed by patients, compared with joint pain or muscle pain. Sometimes these three sign can be assimilated and confused.

Bone pain is the most precisely described that a person who reached after an accident or bone trauma, causing a fracture or other bone lesions.

Localisation des douleurs	Causes d’origine mécanique	Causes d’origine inflammatoire
Douleurs osseuses	Fracture (traumatisme, par contrainte, sur os fragilisé) Ostéomalacie Ostéonécrose Surcharge pondérale	Infection osseuse (ostéite, ostéomyélite) Tumeur osseuse (sarcome, myélome, métastase osseuse) Algodystrophie Goutte
Douleurs articulaires	Arthrose, ostéoporose Entorse, lésion méniscale, lésion ligamentaire, tendinite	Arthrites

However, regardless of the types of pain, a medical consultation is required in order to determine the characteristics of pain:

- Exact location, radiation
- Early onset, duration,
- Triggers, aggravating factor, calming factor
- Other associated signs

From its diagnostic orientation during the examination, the doctor may start additional tests such as blood tests, bone x-rays, bone scans, MRI, ...

During the medical examination, it is also important for physicians to distinguish:

- A mechanical bone pain, usually triggered by the movement and relieved by rest.
- An inflammatory bone pain, which usually occurs when the limb is at rest.

Several conditions may be the cause of bone pain. However, only the medical examination and additional tests may say more about bone pain.

Other conditions may also occur with bone pain, as

- The hematological
- The bone tuberculosis
- Syphilis
- Paget's disease, bone disease glass, systemic lupus erythematosus
- The osteochondritis

Each type of diseases and disorders have their characteristic sign. The doctor is only able to move to one of these causes. For some diseases, the signs are very specific, for others, additional tests are normal.

Thus, bone pain may be related to a condition that affects the structure of the bones, but also to general diseases. Diagnostic orientation doctor begins with complaints and the patient's description. Bone pain can be confused with joint pain, muscle pain or nerve pain.