Joint Fluid Analysis

What To Think About

• Your doctor may recommend further treatment with medicine, physical therapy, or surgery after the cause of your joint pain has been found.
• If you have a skin infection near the surface area of the joint, the infection may spread to the joint during the procedure. However, since skin redness in this area may be caused by gout or a joint infection, your doctor may feel that the benefits of a joint fluid analysis outweigh the risks. In this case, you may be given antibiotics to help prevent a joint infection.
• Tissue from the joint lining may be removed during this test (synovial biopsy). The tissue sample is then examined under a microscope.

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Author:	Sydney Youngerman-Cole, RN, BSN, RNC	Last Updated: June 16, 2006
Medical Review:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Stanford M. Shoor, MD - Rheumatology
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