Thanks. That's a really good way to put it, to compare orthos to carpenters lol.

I have hip dysplasia that went undiagnosed and caused hip osteoarthritis, and it's been years now so was finally sent for an ortho consult. They of course recommended steroid injections, which I expected. But the trouble is that I have a connective tissue disorder and steroids are known to exacerbate the underlying condition, so I know there's a higher likelihood of side effects, but I'm not completely sure how this all applies to me. There's more risk of bleeding, the lidocaine could be ineffective, and the steroid injection could cause more laxity to already-overly-lax tissue.

I asked the ortho if she could help me understand the risks as it applies to my underlying condition and help me figure out how to communicate with the radiologist who would be doing the injection if I moved forward, and she had no clue. I don't think anyone wants to think of themselves as the sum of their imaging...but sometimes there's more going on than the x-ray >_< .