Rheumatology
Treatment for arthritis and autoimmune diseases
Rheumatic disease includes more than 100 conditions, including all forms of arthritis, some autoimmune diseases, musculoskeletal pain disorders and osteoporosis. Rheumatic diseases are usually associated with inflammation, such as swelling and redness, and is accompanied by pain. These diseases can severely affect your ability to perform daily tasks.
Our rheumatologists treat more than 100 types of arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Rheumatologic services we offer include:
- Outpatient consultations
- Outpatient specialty care for patients with chronic rheumatic diseases
- Hospital consultations
- Diagnostic and therapeutic intra-articular and soft tissue injections and aspirations
- Outpatient diagnostic arthroscopy
- Education on rheumatologic diseases and treatments
- Clinical trials
Diagnosing arthritis
Arthritis is a series of joint diseases that, as of yet, have no cure. Arthritis typically causes joint pain, swelling and stiffness in the joints. Rather than curing the condition, treatment is focused on managing the symptoms and helping alleviate your pain.
Without treatment, arthritis will get worse over time. If you have been dealing with chronic join pain and noticed swelling around the area, you should visit your doctor and talk about arthritis. They may take a sample of blood, urine or joint fluid to make a diagnosis.
How to manage and treat arthritis
Finding the right arthritis treatment program for you may take time. Typically, our rheumatologists start with noninvasive treatments such as medication and physical therapy. If these do not help with the pain, joint repair or replacement surgery might be recommended.
There are many treatments which can help patients with arthritis manage the pain:
- Anti-inflammatory medications
- Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs)
- Losing weight
- Exercise to increase joint flexibility
- Hot/cold therapy
- Acupuncture
- Yoga
Your Adventist Health team is here to help. We work closely with you and your family to develop personalized treatment plans. You do not have to live with the pain of arthritis.
