Types
- Fever –Septic arthritis, Rheumtic fever,Gonoccal arthritis,Rheumatoid arthritis,SLE and Polymyalgia rheumatica
- Morning stiffness- inflammatory conditions
Joint swelling
- Small joints- rheumatoid arthritis, Gonoccal arthritis, Reiter’s disease
- Larger joints-gout
- Symmetrical swelling- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Asymmetric swelling- Gout,Rheumatic fever,Haemophilia ,Neoplasam ,Septic arthritis ,Trauma
- Joints should be thoroughly examined for swelling, pain, tenderness and range of movements.
- Spine should be examined for the presence of kyphosis or scoliosis, which can be seen in TB spine.
Examination of muscles: look for disuse atrophy.
Skin rash: erythema margination is a feature of acute rheumatic fever.
Typical butterfly rash over malar eminence is seen in SLE.