Rheumatologists deal with disorders and pain affecting the musculoskeletal system. Rheumatologists are primarily interested in the following:
- bones,
- joints and
- muscles in relation to arthritis and osteoporosis.
There are over 200 conditions which rheumatologists treat. For example, there are several categories of arthritis: inflammatory arthritis, which includes rheumatoid arthritis and connective tissue diseases like systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); degenerative arthritis, such as osteoarthritis.
Then there is gout, which is a critical arthritis that causes acutely inflamed joints. All forms of arthritis can cause debilitating pain. Treating osteoporosis is also a big part of a rheumatologist’s job. The study of rheumatology encompasses a very wide field with often complex clinical conundrums to solve. The aim is to detect where the pain is coming from, how it originated and how best to treat it. See - What is a rheumatologist?
