Rheumatology
Rheumatology deals with a group of conditions collectively called "rheumatic or musculoskeletal diseases". It covers conditions which affect joints, bones, soft tissues, and muscles. There are actually over 200 different diseases that affect the joints, bones, muscles, and other soft tissues. Rheumatologists manage and treat a wide range of these musculoskeletal conditions.
The biggest cause of physical disability in the UK is Arthritis. However, musculoskeletal conditions may affect all age groups. Effective treatment is crucial because, if rheumatic diseases are not treated appropriately, daily activities such as walking, climbing stairs, cooking, and personal hygiene can be affected.
Rheumatic diseases can also have a profound effect on work capacity. They are the single biggest cause of both sick leave and premature retirement, causing serious physical disability, even amongst people of working age.
Rheumatological disease can present with a wide range of symptoms, and it is important to quickly establish the cause of the symptoms for both acute and chronic conditions. Conditions treated by private rheumatology Consultants include:
Conditions of the Joints
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Ankylosing Spondylitis
- Psoriatic Arthritis
- Gout
- Pseudogout
- Osteoarthritis
Connective Tissue Diseases
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
- Scleroderma
- Polymyositis/ Dermatomyositis
- Sjogren's Syndrome
- Polymyalgia Rheumatica
Systemic Vasculitis
- Temporal Arteritis
- Wegener's Granulomatosis
- Polyarteritis
Regional Pain Syndromes
- Tendonitis
- Bursitis
- Disc Disease of Neck & Back
Other conditions
- Osteoporosis
- Raynaud’s Phenomenon
- Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome
- Paget’s Disease
Pain Syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Chronic Pain Syndrome
Soft Tissue Rheumatism
- Trochanteric Bursitis (Hip)
- Olecranon Bursitis (Elbow)
- DeQuervain's Tendinitis (Thumb)
- Achilles Tendinitis (Heel)
- Rotator Cuff Tendinitis (Shoulder) and Impingement Syndrome
Other Types of Soft Tissue Rheumatic Syndromes
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis)
- Golfer's Elbow (Medial Epicondylitis)
- Tenosynovitis
- Plantar Fascilitis
FAQs
With the current waiting times in public healthcare, it’s definitely worth seeing a private rheumatologist whenever you can afford to – simply because the symptoms of most rheumatological conditions can be so debilitating. Finding a faster resolution is likely to significantly improve your quality of life.
This can vary based on the time of year, availability of rheumatology Consultants, and demand on the rheumatology service. But we usually expect waiting times to be around 4 weeks at most.
We go into more detail about payment options on our main FAQs page here, but the options are either to pay via a private medical insurance policy or to self-fund.
When paying for consultations and treatment via private medical insurance, your insurance provider may require that you have a GP referral letter – but you don’t need a referral if you are self-funding treatment.
