Rheumatology & Auto Immune Disorders

Orthopedic surgery or orthopaedics, also spelled orthopaedics, is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal trauma, spine diseases, sports injuries, degenerative diseases, infections, tumor, and congenital disorders.

A rheumatology nurse treats patients with rheumatic diseases. A rheumatic disease is a disease that affects joints and muscles. Some of these diseases are caused by overuse/wear and tear while others are caused by immune system issues. Some of the diseases a rheumatology nurse may encounter include Fibromyalgia, Spondylitis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Lyme disease, Lupus.

Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In some types other organs are also affected. Onset can be gradual or sudden.

The convergence of sports, medicine, and exercise is a rapidly advancing specialty that integrates therapeutic and preventive use of exercise, fitness development for athletic performance, sports-injury prevention and treatment, and sports nutrition.

A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the vertebrate skeleton. Bones support and protect the various organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, and enable mobility.

Clinical rheumatology deals with diagnostic evaluation, management as well as procedures of treatment related with immunologic, inflammatory, degenerative hard and soft diseases of connective tissues. Aims to cover research and clinical aspects of rheumatic disorders

Arthropathy is a collective term for any disease of the joints. A myriad of arthropathic disorders can afflict the joints, including sacroiliitis which causes inflammation in the sacroiliac joint, Charcot's joints which leads to the degeneration of a joint due to nerve damage, and arthrogryposis which results in joint contractures. The enteropathy arthropathies are a group of rheumatologic conditions that share a link to gastrointestinal pathology. The inflammatory myopathies are a group of diseases that involve chronic muscle inflammation, accompanied by muscle weakness.  Another word for chronic inflammation of muscle tissue is myositis. Muscle inflammation may be caused by an allergic reaction, exposure to a toxic substance or medicine, another disease such as cancer or rheumatic conditions, or a virus or other infectious agent, Orthopedic nursing should be done by orthopedic nurse and Orthopedic nurse practioners with care in such conditions. The chronic inflammatory myopathies are idiopathic, meaning they have no known cause.  They are thought to be autoimmune disorders, in which the body’s white blood cells attack blood vessels, normal muscle fibers, and connective tissue in organs, bones, and joints. Under this track various topics will be discussed which will explore various aspects of these diseases such as Diagnosis of myopathies, Spondylarthropathy, Anti-synthetize syndrome, Reactive arthropathy, Enteropathy arthropathy, Diabetic arthropathy, Crystal arthropathy.

Arthroplasty is an orthopedic surgical procedure where the articular surface of a musculoskeletal joint is replaced, remodeled, or realigned by osteotomy or some other procedure. It is an elective procedure that is done to relieve pain and restore function to the joint after damage by arthritis or some other type of trauma.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a type of arthritis in which there is long term inflammation of the joints of the spine. Typically the joints where the spine joins the pelvis are also affected. Occasionally other joints such as the shoulders or hips are involved. Eye and bowel problems may also occur. Back pain is a characteristic symptom of AS, and it often comes and goes.Stiffness of the affected joints generally worsens over time.

Biomechanics is the study of a living body and its mechanics. (Biomechanics is sometimes called human kinetics or kinesiology, and the three terms are often used synonymously.) Kinesiology is the study of body movement, especially in humans, and how it relates to the anatomy.

Clinical immunology is the study of diseases caused by disorders of the immune system (failure, aberrant action, and malignant growth of the cellular elements of the system). It also involves diseases of other systems, where immune reactions play a part in the pathology and clinical features.

Musculoskeletal system diseases, Arthritis – As we age, our joint tissues become less resilient to wear and tear and start to degenerate manifesting as swelling, pain, and oftentimes, loss of mobility of joints. ... A more serious form of disease is called rheumatoid arthritis.

An ultrasound scan is a medical test that uses high-frequency sound waves to capture live images from the inside of your body. The technology is similar to that used by sonar and radar, which help the military detect planes and ships. An ultrasound allows your doctor to see problems with organs, vessels, and tissues—without needing to make an incision. Medical imaging is the technique and process of creating visual representations of the interior of a body for clinical analysis and medical intervention. Medical imaging seeks to reveal internal structures hidden by the skin and bones, as well as to diagnose and treat disease. Medical imaging also establishes a database of normal anatomy and physiology to make it possible to identify abnormalities. Although imaging of removed organs and tissues can be performed for medical reasons, such procedures are usually considered part of pathology instead of medical imaging. In knee surgery also medical imaging plays an important role.

Orthopedic oncology specializes in the treatment of men and women with bone cancer, sarcoma or cancer that has spread to the bone from other areas of the body. The treatment of metastatic bone cancer is evolving rapidly; advances in treatment have made it possible to treat metastatic disease more like a chronic condition and less like a terminal illness. To determine if a bone or soft tissue tumor is present, physicians often collaborate with the radiologists to administer and interpret imaging tests such as PET scans, CT scans, and MRIs. May also perform a fine needle biopsy, where a small sample of bone or tissue is removed and analysed to determine if cancer is present. In addition, we may use a test called flow cytometry, which allows orthopedicians to examine the DNA in cells and determine if cancer is present.

A pediatric rheumatologist works with a pediatrician or family physician to evaluate and treat a variety of joint, muscle, and bone disorders, including the following: Arthritis, Autoimmune disorders, such as lupus, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, Kawasaki disease, post-infectious arthritis, chronic vasculitis, and inflammatory disorders of the muscle, eye, or other organs, Evaluation of prolonged fever, Unexplained complaints of chronic musculoskeletal pain, weakness, poor appetite, fatigue, and/or loss of function or skills, Unexplained symptoms such as a rash, anemia, weight loss, or joint swelling, Possible inflammatory disease

Hip replacement surgery is a process that the removes the femur and shapes the hip socket, then replaces them with a hip implant cup, ball and stem. Orthopaedic surgeons can perform replacement using traditional or minimally invasive procedures. If there are severe complications, hip revision surgeries may be necessary and involve removing the failed hip implant, replacing it with another device and bone grafting if there is damage from the previous implant. The goal of hip replacement surgery is to increase someone’s mobility, decrease pain and improve quality of life by replacing damaged and diseased bone and tissue with an artificial implant. 

Physical medicine and rehabilitation, also known as physiatrist, is a branch of medicine that aims to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life to those with physical impairments or disabilities.

Women are affected by rheumatic diseases more often than men. The most common condition that affects the joints, osteoarthritis, is found more frequently in women than in men, and it is more disabling in women

Systemic lupus erythematous (SLE), also known simply as lupus, is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary between people and may be mild to severe.

Autoimmune disease Some common diseases that are generally considered autoimmune include celiac disease, diabetes mellitus type 1, Graves' disease, inflammatory bowel disease, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus. The diagnosis can be difficult to determine.