Do I need an MRI of my elbow because of ON in my knee?

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I was diagnosed with ON in my right knee in Dec. 2001. My history is Fibromyalgia for over 8 years, a previous fracture of that knee 21 years ago, and over a year of taking a low dose of steroids about 10 yrs ago. I was at stage III and had surgery to drill seven holes in the lesion to try to re-establish blood flow. My regular orhopedic surgeon did the surgery. I now think I have Medial Epicondylitis in my left elbow. I know the symptoms because I had it in my right, and had the surgery to repair it. My left elbow is bad enough that I have to do something about it now. I have the exact same symptoms as the right, and they have been going on for about a year. (longer than my diagnosis of ON) Also, my ON in my knee seems to be getting worse as I am having more pain with additional symptoms. I need to make a decision about whether to go back to my regular ortho, or find one that has more experience in treating ON. Do I need to have an MRI on my elbow to rule out ON in it, and is it ok to go back to my regular orthopedic surgeon, or should I find a specialist at this time?

-- (), June 05, 2002

Answers

Osteonecrosis (ON) can theoretically affect any bone in the body, but is more common in the femur (hip or knee), and the upper end of the humerus (shoulder). An MRI is a useful test for detecting the presence of ON. Your Orthopaedist will help you decide whether you need an MRI of your elbow, based on your history and examination. Epicondylitis is more common than ON, and an examination should help to determine the correct diagnosis.

-- Errol L Bennett, MD (ebennet6@jhmi.edu), June 09, 2002.

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