Someone recently took issue with my answer to a question.  I won't go into detail, but a lady had been having pain in her leg for three months and it was getting worse.  My answer was, “If you've had this pain for three months, you really need to see a doctor.  Something like that can't be diagnosed online – a doctor needs to be able to examine you to determine what the problem is.”  The gentleman who had a problem with my answer felt I should have made some suggestions or educated guesses as to what the problem might be.  He pointed out that not everyone can afford to go to the doctor. 

I can certainly appreciate not being able to afford a visit to the doctor since I personally don't have/can't get health insurance and have had to make some tough decisions in that area myself.  However, there are some very good reasons we can't make “educated guesses” when it comes to a medical diagnosis and this seems like a good opportunity to share those reasons with you.

Imagine If...

I'd like you to imagine a scenerio with me. You go to your doctor's office for an appointment.  When you walk into the treatment room, your doctor is sitting there blindfolded with her hands tied behind her back.  You sit down and an office assistant reads a list of your symptoms to the doctor. 

Would you be comfortable with the doctor diagnosing and treating you at that point?  Or how would you feel if the office assistant made the diagnosis?  Would you feel safe entrusting your health and possibly your life to a doctor who couldn't see you, examine you or even hear the inflections in your voice?  Or to someone who wasn't even a physician, although she may have worked with doctors and patients for several years?  I doubt it.  I know I wouldn't.  Yet that is essentially what you're doing when you ask for a diagnosis online. 

Below are answers to some questions about what our experts can and can't do when it comes to diagnosing the causes of your pain. 

If you're “experts,” why can't you tell me what's wrong with me?

HealthCentral has different kinds of experts.  Some, like myself, are patient experts.  We have and live with the conditions we write about.  You can check out our individual profiles for the details of our background and experience, but most of us have been involved in the field, working with doctors and patients, for many years.  We can't diagnose or treat for obvious reasons – we're not doctors.  What we can do is share what we've learned from study and personal experience.  And we can empathize with what you're going through because we've been there, too.

Some HealthCentral experts are physicians and they certainly have the qualifications to diagnose and treat patients.  However, no reputable physician will do so online.  Why? Because a lot more goes into making an accurate diagnosis than just hearing a few symptoms.  A few things doctors take into consideration when making a diagnosis include: