Overview
Understanding your diagnosis
Your medical letter contains a term you have not encountered before. Much of the explanation made sense during the consultation, but further questions arise at home. What does this diagnosis mean for everyday life? Does it explain the symptoms? And what options do I have now?
On this page and the pages that follow, you will find our information on orthopaedic conditions and osteoporosis. You can start with the name of your diagnosis and use it to find investigations, treatment options and the doctors responsible. You do not need to have fully understood the report already. The information collected here helps you fill gaps in your understanding independently and gather questions for the consultation.
Conditions by body region
Choose the body region first. Within each region, conditions are listed alphabetically. If you already know the name of your diagnosis, you can also use the A-to-Z directory further down.
Head and neck
Shoulder
Hand and wrist
Spine
- Facet joint osteoarthritis – changes in the small spinal joints
- Herniated disc – when pain spreads into an arm or leg
- Lumbago and sudden back pain – when your back starts hurting suddenly
- Neural foraminal stenosis – narrowing where a nerve leaves the spine
- Posture, loading and alignment – symptoms during movement and activity
- Sacroiliac joint pain and osteoarthritis – pain in the lower back and buttocks
- Scoliosis – sideways curvature of the spine
- Spinal stenosis – when walking becomes increasingly difficult
- Vertebral fracture – a break in a spinal bone
Hip
Knee
- Baker’s cyst – swelling behind the knee
- Bow legs and knock knees – changes in leg alignment
- Cruciate ligament tear – when the knee gives way
- Knee osteoarthritis – pain and stiffness in the knee
- Meniscal damage – pain when bending and twisting
- Patellofemoral symptoms – pain around the kneecap
- Recurrent patellar dislocation – when the kneecap slips out
Foot and ankle
- Achilles tendon symptoms – pain at the back of the heel
- Ankle osteoarthritis – when walking and pushing off become difficult
- Calluses and corns – painful pressure when walking
- Claw toes and hammer toes – bent toes and pressure in shoes
- Diabetic foot – taking pressure areas seriously in diabetes
- Hallux rigidus – when the big toe becomes stiff
- Hallux valgus – when shoes press on a bunion
- Metatarsalgia – pain under the ball of the foot
- Plantar fasciitis – pain under the heel
- Pronated feet, fallen arches and splayfoot in adults – when foot shape causes symptoms
Understanding
Start with a term you already know
Look in the alphabetical directory for the term in your medical letter. Some conditions have both a medical and a commonly used name. On the relevant pages, we explain the terminology and which questions matter for further care.
You can begin reading with a specific question in mind: would you like to know how the diagnosis is made, which treatment may be suitable or what you can do yourself? You do not need to work through every linked page before an appointment. The information is intended to make the discussion easier.
Conditions from A to Z
- Achilles tendon symptoms – pain at the back of the heel
- Ankle osteoarthritis – when walking and pushing off become difficult
- Baker’s cyst – swelling behind the knee
- Bow legs and knock knees – changes in leg alignment
- Calcific shoulder tendinopathy – calcium deposits and shoulder pain
- Calluses and corns – painful pressure when walking
- Carpal tunnel syndrome – tingling and numbness in the hand
- Claw toes and hammer toes – bent toes and pressure in shoes
- Cruciate ligament tear – when the knee gives way
- Diabetic foot – taking pressure areas seriously in diabetes
- Facet joint osteoarthritis – changes in the small spinal joints
- Fibromyalgia – persistent pain in several areas of the body
- Frozen shoulder – when the shoulder becomes increasingly stiff
- Greater trochanteric pain – pain on the outside of the hip
- Hallux rigidus – when the big toe becomes stiff
- Hallux valgus – when shoes press on a bunion
- Hand and finger osteoarthritis, including thumb-base osteoarthritis – pain in the hand and fingers
- Herniated disc – when pain travels into an arm or leg
- Hip dysplasia – when the hip socket does not fully cover the femoral head
- Hip osteoarthritis – when walking and dressing become difficult
- Knee osteoarthritis – pain and stiffness in the knee
- Lumbago and sudden back pain – when your back starts hurting suddenly
- Meniscal damage – pain when bending and twisting
- Metatarsalgia – pain under the ball of the foot
- Muscle tension and myofascial pain – painful, tense muscles
- Neural foraminal stenosis – narrowing where a nerve leaves the spine
- Osteoarthritis – understanding joint changes and symptoms
- Osteoporosis – when bones break more easily
- Patellofemoral symptoms – pain around the kneecap
- Plantar fasciitis – pain under the heel
- Posture, loading and alignment – symptoms during movement and activity
- Pronated feet, fallen arches and splayfoot in adults – when foot shape causes symptoms
- Recurrent patellar dislocation – when the kneecap slips out
- Rotator cuff tear – a torn shoulder tendon
- Sacroiliac joint pain and osteoarthritis – pain in the lower back and buttocks
- Scoliosis – sideways curvature of the spine
- Shoulder impingement – pain when lifting the arm
- Shoulder osteoarthritis – pain and stiffness in the shoulder
- Spinal stenosis – when walking becomes increasingly difficult
- Tennis and golfer’s elbow – pain when gripping and carrying
- Vertebral fracture – a break in a spinal bone
Further information
A diagnosis does not explain your whole situation
An imaging report can raise questions that the images alone cannot answer. Depending on the structure examined, this may involve ultrasound, X-ray or MRI findings. In people with back pain, for example, changes to discs or joints may also be found in people without the same symptoms. What matters is whether a finding matches your symptoms and the clinical examination.
During our conversation, we also want to understand what has changed: which movements you find difficult, whether you are sleeping less well or which activity you miss. These observations help us define a treatment goal. The name of a condition alone does not tell us which next step is right for you.
You know your symptoms but do not yet have a diagnosis
If you do not yet have a medical term, the best place to start searching our website is the ‘Symptoms’ section. There you can choose the body region that concerns you. For example, back pain first leads to information about assessing the symptoms, followed by possible causes.
You do not have to assign yourself a diagnosis based on similar descriptions. Even if several areas are affected or your concern does not fit the directory exactly, you can describe it to the practice in your own words. A description such as ‘I cannot walk as far as I used to’ is a helpful starting point.
A dedicated route to information about osteoporosis
Bone health concerns the entire skeleton. Osteoporosis is a systemic skeletal disease and cannot be limited to one body region, such as the knee, hip or back. Perhaps you would like to understand a DXA report or find out whether further tests would be useful after a fracture. You will find a dedicated starting point under ‘Bone health and osteoporosis’.
The ‘Osteoporosis’ condition page explains the diagnosis. Our centre’s specialist page describes osteology care at OrthoCoast in Wolgast. This helps you distinguish between looking for a medical explanation and finding out what care with us might involve.
From reading to a personal discussion
As you read, note any questions that remain unanswered. Bringing your medical letter and existing investigation records to the appointment can be helpful. For imaging, please bring both the written report and the images where possible, for example on a CD or accessible through a QR code.
If you have already started treatment, please tell us about that too. What helped, what was difficult and what questions arose? These experiences are part of the ongoing assessment. ‘Appointments & enquiries’ explains the next practical step.
Frequently asked questions
My report lists several diagnoses. Where should I start?
My term is not in the directory. Does that mean OrthoCoast does not deal with it?
Can I choose a particular treatment directly after reading?
Your next step
