Rheumatic diseases affect your joints tendons, ligaments, bones, and muscles. Among them are many types of arthritis, a term used for conditions that affect your joints. Best orthopedist in patna


Sometimes they’re called musculoskeletal diseases. Common symptoms include:

  • Joint pain
  • Loss of motion in a joint or joints
  • Inflammation -- swelling, redness, and warmth in a joint or affected area

The medical field that studies these types of conditions is called rheumatology. If your regular doctor thinks you have a rheumatic disease, they’ll probably send you to a rheumatologist -- a doctor who’s specially trained to treat them. Best orthopedist in patna

Your rheumatologist will examine you to diagnose your condition, then oversee a treatment plan for you that will likely include medications, regular exercise, a healthy diet, stress management, and rest. Best orthopedist in patna

Common Rheumatic Disorders

Years ago, conditions like this fell under the broad heading of rheumatism. Now there are more than 200 distinct rheumatic diseases. Among the most common ones are:

  • Osteoarthritis
  • Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
  • Lupus
  • Spondyloarthropathies -- ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA)
  • Sjogren’s syndrome
  • Gout
  • Scleroderma
  • Infectious arthritis
  • Juvenile idiopathic arthritis
  • Polymyalgia rheumatica
What Causes Rheumatic Disease?

Most of these conditions happen when your immune system goes awry and attacks your own tissues. Doctors aren’t sure what causes this. Sometimes it’s in your genes. Other times it’s a result of something in the world around you, like cigarette smoke, pollution, or something that causes an infection. Gender also plays a role -- rheumatic diseases seem to affect women more than men.

What to Expect When You Have a Rheumatic Disease

Osteoarthritis (OA)

What it is: Unlike most rheumatic diseases, osteoarthritis isn’t linked to problems with your immune system. It results from damage to cartilage, the cushiony material on the end of your bones. As it wears down, your joints hurt and become harder to move. It usually affects the knees, hips, lower back, neck, fingers, and feet. Best orthopedist near me

Symptoms:

  • Pain
  • Swelling
  • Warmth
  • Stiffness

Muscle weakness can make joints unstable. Depending on what parts of the body it affects, OA can make it hard to walk, grip objects, dress, comb your hair, or sit. Best orthopedist near me