What we do
We provide out patient and in patient care for people of all ages treating a wide spectrum of conditions ranging from arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis through crystal diseases such as gout, muscle diseases such as myositis, to complex conditions such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and scleroderma. We also treat non-inflammatory conditions such as shoulder pain and soft-tissue problems and our department makes a major contribution to the Sports and Exercise medicine service.
Our service is based at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital but we also run clinics at the Northern General and Children’s Hospitals as well as an out reach clinic in Bakewell. We have dedicated in patient beds on Ward O2 at the Royal Hallamshire for those patients who require in patient care and a day case unit attached to the same ward. We have a team of Specialist Nursing staff who run their own clinics as well as supporting our day case work and we have our own team of Physiotherapists and Occupational Therapists. We have access to the latest range of diagnostic investigations including ultrasound, MRI and PET scanners and a full range of laboratory services and have weekly meetings with radiology colleagues to discuss cases in more detail.
We run an on-call service providing access to advice and specialist consultations for both out-patients and in-patients with acute musculoskeletal problems. We also provide a helpline for out-patients for telephone help and advice as well as answering queries about their condition and complications of their disease and treatment.
In addition to our own clinics we run joint clinics with several other services within the Hospital such as orthopaedics, dermatology, respiratory medicine and neurology and have further specialist links with the osteoporosis and sports medicine services.
What we treat
The majority of our work is based around treating arthritis such as Rheumatoid Arthritis. This is termed an inflammatory arthritis because the condition causes inflammation in joints (and occasionally elsewhere in the body). This usually requires treatment with drugs on a long term basis and recent advances in treatment (such as the introduction of Methotrexate and the anti-TNF therapies) have made a huge difference to how well this can now be controlled. In addition to inflammatory arthritis we also treat osteoarthritis and soft tissue conditions such as shoulder pain.
More specialised clinics are run for conditions such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) which is a condition called an auto-immune disease and again commonly requires treatment with drugs to control it for some time.
Our sport and exercise medicine service provides specialist diagnostic and management advice for any problem affecting those who enjoy exercise and sport whether they are recreational exercisers or elite athletes.
Rheumatology however also encompasses lots of other conditions and the ones mentioned above are simply some of the commoner ones we see, so if you have been referred to us and don’t see your condition listed above then please don’t be concerned – we would hope to be able to answer your questions in clinic and provide you with helpful advice and treatment.
