All of us have suffered from musculoskeletal pains that would last for a couple of days or a few hours. But what if the pain in your neck, muscles, or back persists and increases in severity over the next few days? Well, seeing the doctor might be the right thing to do in such a situation. Since identifying the rheumatic diseases in early stages is not easy, you n eed specialised training and skills to diagnose these diseases.
Rheumatic diseases can lead to more complex conditions if the diagnosis is not made at the right time – that’s when rheumatologists come into play. Rheumatologists are well-trained experts in the practice of diagnosing rheumatic diseases. The job of these medical professionals is to study and evaluate your signs and symptoms to come up with the right treatment plan. They are well-aware of the urgency of finding the right solution as further delay in treatment could worsen the condition while damaging your wellbeing.
The job of rheumatologists:
Rheumatologists diagnose and treat mainly inflammatory conditions of the joints, muscles, bones and blood vessels. These include autoimmune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, gout, Lupus, Vasculitis and Ankylosing Spondylitis. Also, non-inflammatory conditions such as osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, chronic back pain, fibromyalgia and carpal tunnel syndrome are diagnosed and treated by a rheumatologist.
Rheumatologists have an excellent understanding of the immune system and also general medicine which, most people say, makes them the best diagnosticians in the whole of the medical field. Their treatments can be complex and often involve controlling an overactive immune system. Rheumatologists have a good grasp of managing difficult to control pain as well for conditions such as fibromyalgia.
These medical professionals are trained to engineer proper treatment plans tailored to current conditions and diseases. Most of these doctors work in outpatient clinics, which are generally associated with a local hospital. In most cases, people visit rheumatologists when a primary care doctor refers to them.
The question is, when is the right time to visit a rheumatologist? Everyone experiences severe joint and muscular pain from time to time. However, if the pain prolongs, then further evaluation and diagnosis is required. Quite often, medication mitigates or improves the signs and symptoms of the rheumatic disease making it more difficult for the doctors to carry out the right diagnosis. The primary job of the rheumatologist is to evaluate the previous diagnosis and test reports to assess the presence of musculoskeletal abnormalities. Here’s what a rheumatologist treats and when it is right to see one:
1. Treatment of more than 120 diseases: