What are Rheumatologists?
Rheumatologists are doctors who are specially trained to diagnose and manage conditions that cause pain, swelling and/or inflammation in the bones, joints or muscles. These symptoms can be the result of age, injury or overuse. They can also result from genetic, autoimmune or even infectious illnesses. If you're having musculoskeletal pain, it's important to identify the cause early on.
Why Would I Need to See a Rheumatologist?
If you're having some of the conditions described above, you may benefit from working with a Stamford Health rheumatologist. He or she will go over your conditions, review your family history and recommend an individualized treatment plan for you.
What Bone or Joint Conditions do Rheumatologists Treat?
- Arthritis and other disorders of the musculoskeletal system
- Autoimmune disorders that typically affect the musculoskeletal system
- Osteoporosis and metabolic bone diseases
- Amyloidosis: The buildup of abnormal proteins in organs such as the liver, kidneys, heart and more.
- Ankylosing spondylitis: A type of inflammatory arthritis that impacts larger joints and the spine. This condition is more common in men than in women.
- Behcet's Syndrome: An extremely rare disorder in which the blood vessels become inflamed. Symptoms include sores in the mouth and genital areas, rashes and inflamed eyes.
- Calcium pyrophosphate disease: Also called pseudogout, a common condition in which calcium crystals form in the joints and potentially cause pain.
- Carpal Tunnel syndrome: When a pinched nerve in the wrist causes numbing and tingling in the hand and arm.
- Fibromyalgia: A condition which exhibits widespread muscle tenderness and pain.
- Gout: A type of arthritis in which there exists severe pain, tenderness and redness in the joints. Attacks can occur at random, especially during the evening hours.
- Lupus: When the immune system attacks its own tissues and causes inflammation. Parts of the body affected include kidneys, skin, joints, brain, lungs, heart and blood cells.
- Osteoporosis: Also known as the “silent disease,” osteoporosis causes bones to become weaker and more brittle.
- Polymyalgia rheumatic: An inflammatory disorder known to bring about muscle pain as well as stiffness in the shoulder and hip areas.
- Psoriatic arthritis: A common form of arthritis that impacts people who have the skin condition, psoriasis.
- Raynaud's syndrome
- Scleroderma
- Sjogren's syndrome
- Vasculitis
What are the Most Common Types of Arthritis?
The most common condition that rheumatologists treat is arthritis, of which there are many types. Our team focuses on lifestyle modification, medications and sometimes surgery, always with the goal of allowing you to continue enjoying and functioning normally in life.
What is Osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis, the most universal form of arthritis, refers to the pain and stiffness you feel as your joint cartilage becomes worn and damaged. This form of arthritis is part of the natural process of aging, but can also develop as a consequence of sports injuries, overuse syndromes and/or obesity. By the age of 85, virtually all individuals are affected by arthritis in one way or another. The pain from osteoarthritis is typically aggravated by use of the affected joints and improves with rest.
What is Rheumatoid Arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic and progressive form of arthritis. An autoimmune condition, rheumatoid arthritis differs from osteoarthritis in that its root cause is inflammation, not degeneration. About 1.5 million American adults (including three times as many women as men) have rheumatoid arthritis.
Stamford Health rheumatologists provide attentive and personalized care to patients in our community. We are proud of our top, renowned medical providers, all board certified and supported by excellent administrative staff.
