Joint and Limb Pain
When to Go to the ER

Call 911 When the Pain Comes With These Symptoms

• One side of the body suddenly becomes weak or numb, especially with a drooping face, slurred speech, confusion, trouble seeing, dizziness, or loss of balance.
• Arm or shoulder pain comes with chest pressure, shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, lightheadedness, or fainting.
• An arm or leg suddenly becomes extremely painful, cold, pale, gray, or blue and is becoming numb, weak, or difficult to move.
• The person has collapsed, is difficult to wake, or cannot be moved safely.

Sudden weakness on one side of the body can be a warning sign of a stroke. Arm or shoulder discomfort with chest pressure or breathing trouble can be related to the heart. A limb that suddenly becomes cold, pale, painful, and difficult to move may not be receiving enough blood.

Do not wait to see whether these symptoms pass. Call 911, and do not drive yourself.

Come to the ER When the Pain Should Not Wait

• The pain began suddenly, is severe, or is getting worse quickly.
• You can no longer lift, grip, bend, straighten, walk, or put weight on the area the way you normally can.
• A joint becomes hot, red, swollen, and extremely painful.
• Joint pain comes with fever, chills, or the feeling that you are becoming seriously sick.
• One arm or leg becomes newly swollen, warm, tender, or discolored without an obvious minor injury.
• Your hand or foot becomes numb, unusually weak, cold, pale, gray, or blue.
• Swelling is increasing quickly and the arm or leg feels tight or unusually full.
• Severe pain or tight swelling develops after a hard impact, crush injury, or while the limb is inside a cast or tight bandage.
• Pain follows a significant fall or collision and the area looks out of place or cannot be used normally.

A hot, swollen, and very painful joint can sometimes be caused by an infection. New swelling, warmth, and pain in only one arm or leg can be signs of a blood clot. Rapidly increasing pain, swelling, and tightness after an injury can mean pressure is building inside the limb.

These problems may begin with pain, but they can affect movement, feeling, and blood flow. They need an examination.

When the Symptoms Seem Mild and Stable

Sometimes the pain remains mild. You can still walk, grip, bend, or use the area close to normally. There is no major swelling, fever, lasting numbness, weakness, deformity, or change in the color or temperature of your hand or foot.

When the symptoms are mild, stable, and not getting worse, urgent care may be a reasonable place to start.

The important word is stable.

Do not use mild pain as a reason to ignore a new change. If the pain becomes stronger, swelling begins to build, normal movement changes, or the hand or foot becomes numb, cold, pale, or blue, come to the ER.

What the Pain May Feel Like

Pain is not always easy to describe.

You may say:

• “It hurts behind my knee.”
• “The pain runs along the outside of my leg.”
• “It starts in my shoulder and goes down my arm.”
• “The top of my foot hurts when I stand.”
• “My calf feels tight and heavier than the other one.”
• “My fingers feel numb when I try to grip something.”
• “My hand feels colder than the other hand.”
• “I can move my knee, but I cannot put weight on it.”
• “My whole arm just does not feel right.”

Those descriptions are useful.

You do not need to decide whether the pain is coming from a bone, joint, muscle, nerve, or blood vessel. Tell us where you feel it, what you noticed first, and what you can no longer do normally.

When a Child Stops Using an Arm or Leg Normally

Children often show pain before they can explain it.

A young child may hold one arm close to the body, stop reaching for things, refuse to stand, begin limping, or cry when the area is touched or moved. They may not be able to tell you whether the pain is in the bone, the joint, or somewhere nearby.

Come to the ER when your child suddenly stops using an arm or leg, especially after a significant fall or injury.

Prompt evaluation is also important when:

• A joint becomes hot, swollen, and very painful.
• The child has a fever and looks or acts seriously ill.
• The arm or leg looks bent or out of place.
• Swelling is increasing quickly.
• The child cannot stand or put weight on the leg.
• A hand or foot becomes numb, cold, pale, gray, or blue.

The important change is not whether your child can name the painful area. It is whether they have stopped using it normally.

How Our Emergency Physician Will Evaluate the Pain

At Post Oak ER, the first step is not a scan. It is listening to what happened and examining the painful area.

When you arrive, one of our emergency physicians will ask when the pain began, whether it started suddenly, and what has changed since then. The physician may compare both sides of your body and examine:

• Where the pain and swelling are located
• How the joint or limb moves
• Whether you can stand, walk, grip, or lift normally
• Whether the area feels warmer or colder than the other side
• Whether strength or feeling has changed
• Whether blood flow to the hand or foot may be affected

Testing is chosen from what the conversation and examination reveal.

When a fracture or joint displacement is possible

An X-ray may help show whether a bone is broken or a joint is out of position.

When one arm or leg is newly swollen

Ultrasound may be appropriate when the physician is concerned about a blood clot. Duplex ultrasound is generally the preferred first imaging test when a clot is suspected in an arm or leg.

When a joint is hot, swollen, and very painful

Blood work and further joint evaluation may be needed when infection is a concern. The physician will decide what testing is appropriate based on the joint, your symptoms, and the examination.

Not every patient needs imaging. Not every kind of pain needs the same test.

The goal is to understand what may be happening, identify what should not be missed, relieve the pain, and determine the safest next step.

Treatment can begin during the visit. We can treat pain, support or immobilize an injured area, and monitor changes while the evaluation is underway. If you need surgery or a higher level of care, we can stabilize you and arrange transfer.

What Happens When You Arrive

You do not need perfect medical words or a carefully prepared explanation.

Start with what you noticed:

• Where did the pain begin?
• Did it start suddenly or build over time?
• Was there a fall, impact, or other injury?
• Is the swelling increasing?
• Does the area feel hot, cold, weak, heavy, or numb?
• What could you do before that you cannot do now?

Your answers and the examination shape what happens next. You will not automatically receive every available test simply because the equipment is on-site.

Before the visit ends, you should understand what the physician found, what treatment was started, and what changes should bring you back for immediate care.

24/7 Emergency Care Near The Galleria

Post Oak ER is open 24 hours a day at:

5018 San Felipe Street
Houston, TX 77056

Our emergency room is located near The Galleria and I-610. Adults and children can walk in without an appointment for severe or concerning joint and limb pain.

We serve patients from Uptown, Tanglewood, Briargrove, Highland Village, River Oaks, and surrounding Houston communities.

When joint or limb pain comes with stroke symptoms, heart-attack warning signs, collapse, or sudden loss of blood flow to an arm or leg, call 911 instead of driving.