Cracking the Code: How Rheumatologists Solve the Puzzle of Chronic Pain

Chronic pain, persistent swelling, and mysterious symptoms can sometimes feel like an unsolvable puzzle with multiple missing pieces.

- by REBEKAH PIERCE sponsored by Central Florida Health Care

But for rheumatologists, these are often the clues that lead to life-changing answers. Specializing in autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, rheumatologists play an indispensable role in diagnosing and treating diseases that impact not just joints, but in many cases, the entire body.

Kavita Khorran, a physician assistant at Central Florida Health Care who specializes in rheumatology, explains that many patients come to her office looking for answers because they've been experiencing pain for several years, or "weird" symptoms that just can't be explained with other diagnoses.

"A lot of times we get what we call 'zebra cases' as well," she says. "They never got a clear diagnosis on what they have. And it's very rewarding, being able to sometimes provide those answers for your patients."

There's no simple checklist of what might make someone a good candidate for a visit to the rheumatologist, but Khorran says a few common symptoms or signs include active swelling in the joints (predominantly in the morning, when they wake up), swelling that persists for more than a week at a time, rashes that don't go away, extreme fatigue, and painful joints that are tender to the touch.