RT Book, Section A1 Johnston, James C. A1 Deune, E. Gene A2 Imboden, John B. A2 Hellmann, David B. A2 Stone, John H. SR Print(0) ID 57270470 T1 Chapter 6. Approach to the Patient with Hand, Wrist, or Elbow Pain T2 CURRENT Diagnosis & Treatment: Rheumatology, 3e YR 2013 FD 2013 PB The McGraw-Hill Companies PP New York, NY SN 978-0-07-163805-0 LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=57270470 RD 2024/03/28 AB The causes of upper extremity pain can be categorized as neurologic, musculoskeletal, joint-related, and vascular. A thorough history is critical to characterize the pain. Clinicians should ask specific questions about the quality of the pain (eg, aching, stabbing, throbbing, tingling, pins and needles, numbness). Radiologic and diagnostic testing can help the clinician differentiate between the sources of pain, thereby limiting the differential diagnosis. However, because pain is subjective, the objective physical, radiologic, and electrophysiologic findings sometimes correlate poorly with the intensity of the patient’s perceived pain.