Inflammation as a Diagnoses

Have you ever seen a doctor for pain and been told it was "inflammation"? You are likely then treated with rest, ice, cast, elevation, anti-inflammatory medicine, electrical stimulation, ultrasound, massage, or cortisone injection. Inflammation is not a diagnosis. Inflammation is a reaction to almost any abnormality of tissue. For example; acute injuries such as fractures, sprains, or lacerations; chronic injuries such as tendonopathies; infections, arthritis, and allergic reactions all produce an inflammatory response. If all of these abnormalities cause inflammation - how is using inflammation as a diagnosis helpful? It isn't.

It would be analogous to going to the doctor when you're sick only to be told you have a fever. Having a fever is not a specific diagnosis. Neither is inflammation. A doctor giving a diagnosis of inflammation without further explanation indicates a lack of a true diagnosis. Since inflammation accompanies so many diagnoses you probably will never hear your doctor say you have inflammation due to a fractured bone. If you have a fractured bone your doctor will inform you that you have a fractured bone - not that you have inflammation due to a fractured bone. Treatment without true diagnosis is usually ineffective.

As Stanislaus Orthopaedics we make every effort to find a meaningful diagnoses and useful treatment. We are not happy with inflammation as a diagnosis and you shouldn't be either.

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