Did you know that a Diagnosis of Arthritis is not necessarily straightforward?

Did you know that a diagnosis of arthritis is not necessarily straightforward?

My experience has shown me that there is a general perception in the community that if you have joint pains that you must have arthritis. This is not necessarily the case.

I regularly see people coming to see me, telling me why they are coming to see me, and they tell me that they are there because they have arthritis and that they’ve been told that they have arthritis and they refer to pain all over their body in many different places as ‘arthritis pain’.

Often when it comes down to it, they don’t have arthritis, and what they have is pain in and around joints in different parts of their body and in other muscled parts of their body. This does not mean that they have arthritis.

Rheumatologists know that there are many different causes of joint and muscle pains, and its not always arthritis, and even if it is, we need to get the correct diagnosis!

What it's important that we do in these situations is rather than assuming that there is arthritis because of pain near or around joints, that we go back to the basics of what a person (patient), is feeling and experiencing in their body. This is important to make sure that the diagnosis is correct. We can’t assume that you have arthritis.

Your Rheumatologist will ask you questions about what you are experiencing, where your aches and pains and other symptoms are and when you experience them, and other questions to work out what is actually going on in your body. It may be more questions than you are expecting! This is because a Rheumatologist considers a lot of things based on their field of expertise, and want sto make sure you are completely evaluated.

Pain near joints or in joints does not necessarily mean that you have arthritis!

And, if you DO have arthritis, there are many different types of arthritis.

And, if you do have joint pains and arthritis, this does not mean that all your pains in ALL places in your body are due to arthritis!

There is a lot to consider.

There are many different causes of pain and they can all happen at the same time for a person and they can need different treatments for your best care.

This is why it is so important that the details are attended to and it is clear exactly what you are experiencing in terms of your symptoms, so that your rheumatologist can investigate you thoroughly to make sure you get the correct diagnoses.

A detailed history and assessment ensures that correct tests are done to maximise the chance of you having the correct diagnosis and getting the best possible treatment.

Enjoy your visit to your rheumatologist!