 [ Symptoms ] should you smack or forcefully put a finger in someones chest to wake the up from fainting  my 14 year old grand daughter passed out on my son in law and i got in an argument over this he said this is what paramedics did to him i believe this is to judge the level of consciousness not to wake some one up who has fainted doing this could actually cause more damage than good i used a cold compress and supported her until she came around which was just like a couple of minutes am i on the right track [ Disease ] doctors make a diagnosis of oa based on a physical exam and history of symptoms the diagnosis of osteoarthritis is based on a combination of the following factors * a description of symptoms * the location and pattern of pain * certain findings in a physical examination x rays may be used to confirm a diagnosis and to make sure that no other type of arthritis is present most people over age 60 reflect the disease on x ray about a third of patients have actual symptoms sometimes blood tests are administered while blood tests cannot point to anything in particular that can help a doctor confirm the presence of oa the tests can help the doctor determine the presence of a different type of arthritis if fluid has accumulated in the body is joints the doctor may remove some of the fluid with a process called joint aspiration and may examine the fluid under a microscope to rule out other diseases