Rheumatic Conditions Resource Center
Health ConditionsRheumatic Conditions

Rheumatic Conditions

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Rheumatic conditions that affect the joints, muscles, bones, soft tissue and organs, causing pain and swelling. Hallmark symptoms include painful, stiff, swollen joints and reduced mobility.

 Treatment varies by condition but often involves medication, physical therapy, or surgery. Lifestyle factors like maintaining a healthy weight, engaging in appropriate exercise, and home remedies such as heating pads or ice packs can also be crucial in rheumatic conditions management.

FAQ

What are common rheumatic conditions?
Rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and gout are among the most common rheumatic conditions. Others include systemic lupus erythematosus, vasculitis, ankylosing spondylitis, and fibromyalgia.
Rheumatic pain can occur from several causes, including inflammation, injury, overuse and aging. A rheumatologist can help identify the cause of your rheumatic pain.
The gut is closely linked to inflammation, and certain foods can reduce or increase rheumatic condition activity. Obesity can also lead to increased body-wide inflammation. However, diet changes won’t completely replace the need for medications in rheumatic condition treatment.
A doctor will examine the joints during physical exams, perform blood tests to look for specific markers or antibodies, and perform imaging scans to check for fluid buildup, damage, or inflammation. Some rheumatic conditions can take a while to diagnose.
Exercising with a rheumatic condition may include low-impact activities such as biking or walking, stretching, balance exercises like tai chi, and resistance training. While you may need to adjust some movements, exercise remains crucial for physical and mental health.
Meet Our Experts In Rheumatic Conditions
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Everyday Health’s team of board-certified physicians and health professionals contribute to the creation and review of content, ensuring that the information is useful, up to date, and accurate.
Sian-Yik-Lim-bio

Sian Yik Lim, MD

Medical Reviewer
Castle Connolly Top Doctor
Sian Yik Lim, MD, is a board-certified rheumatologist at Hawaii Pacific Health. He is a clinical certified densitometrist, certified by the International Society of Clinical Densitometry. He completed his rheumatology fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital and was also a research fellow at Harvard Medical School. His research interests include osteoporosis, gout, and septic arthritis. Dr. Lim has published in JAMA, Current Opinions in Rheumatology, Osteoporosis International, Bone, Rheumatology, and Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism.

Lim has authored several book chapters, including one titled “What is Osteoporosis” in the book Facing Osteoporosis: A Guide for Patients and their Families. He was also an editor for Pharmacological Interventions for Osteoporosis, a textbook involving collaboration from a team of bone experts from Malaysia, Australia, and the United States.
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Maya Feller

Maya Feller, MS, RD, CDN

Medical Reviewer

Maya Feller, MS, RD, CDN, is the founder and lead dietitian at Maya Feller Nutrition. In her practice, her team provides medical nutrition therapy and nutrition coaching for hormone and metabolic health, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mood disorders, developmental disabilities, disordered eating, and more.

Feller believes in providing inclusive nutrition education from an anti-bias, patient-centered, culturally humble approach to help people make informed food choices. May shares her approachable, food-based solutions with millions of people on her new YouTube channel as the host of Where Wellbeing Meets Flavor, which includes cooking demos, exclusive interviews, and Q&As; in her on-demand master classes and courses, regular speaking engagements, writing, and social platform posts; and as a national nutrition expert on Good Morning America.

Feller is also on the advisory board for Shape and Parents; has been on the Today show and Tamron Hall; and has appeared in The New York Times, Mindbodygreen, Food Network, Martha Stewart, Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, Cooking Light, Eating Well, Prevention, Glamour, Self, and other publications.

She is the author of Eating From Our Roots: 80+ Healthy Home-Cooked Favorites From Cultures Around the World and The Southern Comfort Food Cookbook.

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Alexa Meara, MD

Medical Reviewer

Alexa Meara, MD, is an assistant professor of immunology and rheumatology at The Ohio State University. She maintains a multidisciplinary vasculitis clinic and supervises a longitudinal registry of lupus nephritis and vasculitis patients. Her clinical research is in improving patient–physician communication. She is involved in the medical school and the Lead-Serve-Inspire (LSI) curriculum and serves on the medical school admissions committee; she also teaches multiple aspects of the Part One curriculum. Her interests in medical-education research include remediation and work with struggling learners.

Dr. Meara received her medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, DC.  She completed her internal medicine training at East Carolina University (ECU) at Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, North Carolina, then spent two more years at ECU, first as chief resident in internal medicine, then as the associate training program director for internal medicine. She pursued further training in rheumatology at The Ohio State University in Columbus, completing a four-year clinical and research fellowship there in 2015. 

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Samir Dalvi, MD

Medical Reviewer
Castle Connolly Top Doctor

Samir Dalvi, MD, is a board-certified rheumatologist. He has over 14 years of experience in caring for patients with rheumatologic diseases, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, lupus, and gout.

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Resources
  1. Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. February 2025.
  2. Treatment for Arthritis and Other Rheumatic Diseases in Children. Stanford Medicine Children’s Health.
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