Foot pain? New study says look at hip and knee for complete diagnosis
Our overall goal was to provide practitioners with evidence-based guidance for evaluation and options for treatment for their patients," the researchers wrote in their paper, which appeared in the Journal of the American Podiatric Medical Association . "The study shows that a physician evaluating a patient for foot pain should also ask about possible hip or knee pain, and vice versa, so we can address all of a patient's issues. In medicine, many times it comes down to 'what does your MRI look like or what does your x-ray look like?' But it's really important to conduct a thorough medical history and physical exam," says Brian Halpern, MD, a sports medicine physician at HSS and study co-author. "A comprehensive orthopedic evaluation may prompt a broader treatment strategy and possibly a referral to another specialist." "Studying the interaction between the knee and the foot, or the hip and the foot is very important because it's ...