The physicians at Ankle and Foot Clinics Northwest frequently use diagnostic injections. Diagnostic injections consist of an injection of local anesthetic into an area where symptoms are difficult to isolate. For instance a patient may seem to have pain originating from their ankle joint and subtalar joint. A diagnostic injection could be performed in sequential fashion to determine if one or both joints is involved. Sometimes it is necessary to perform diagnostic injections under live X-ray. Combined with imaging such as X-rays, MRI, and CT scans, this can be a powerful tool to localize specific areas of pain and are especially important for surgical planning.