Acute musculoskeletal pain

Infiltration of local anesthetic into soft tissues as a diagnostico-therapeutic maneuver in musculoskeletal pain conveys no insight into the mechanism of production of pain but highlights the importance of contextual effect in assessment and treatment. The mainstay of management of acute noninflammatory joint pain is attention to biomechanical factors and the use of analgesic medication. Bacterial infection of these structures presents as typical acute inflammation. Treatment of acute gouty arthritis has two phases: relief of the acute inflammatory episode and prevention of recurrent episodes through control of hyperuricemia. Osteonecrosis may be a cause of acute joint pain but usually has a spectrum of clinical presentation similar to that of osteoarthrosis. Acute knee pain is most commonly caused by intrinsic knee disorders. The literature regarding knee disorders is enormous and features creative taxonomy. The difficulty of making an accurate, precise diagnosis may have contributed to the profusion of traditional labels.