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Rheumatology

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Rheumatology is the study and treatment of Rheumatic diseases. But what exactly is a Rheumatic disease? In layman's terms a Rheumatologist is involved in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases that affect the joints, connective tissues and the soft tissues that surround the joints.

The first thing that comes to mind for most people when you mention Rheumatology is Rheumatiod Arthritis such as seen in the elderly. But did you know that this condition may also affect young children? Childhood Rheumatoid Arthritis, called Juvenile Arthritis affects 1 child in every 1.000 annually! Many of these cases are mild and caused by some sort of bacterial or viral infection, this arthritis is often referred to as acute inflammatory arthritis and may cause severe symptoms for a relatively brief period of time. Occasionally however, it does not go away and may become Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, this painful condition affects about 1 in every 10,000 children annually. The pain of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis may last for months or even years at a time. This disease has been renamed now to be called simply juvenile arthritis or juvenile arthritis of unknown cause (juvenile idiopathic arthritis)

Did you know that there are more than 100 types of arthritis and rheumatic diseases!

A Rheumatologist may be employed in the treatment of acute joint injuries caused by sports injuries or motor vehicle accidents. Sports medicine relies heavily on Rheumatolgists in the care and treatment of their athletes.

A Rheumatologist may be consulted for acute injuries to joints such as ACL injuries on sports athletes or slip and fall victims.
But they will also treat a myriad of other diseases such as: