Rheumatological rehabilitation
Rheumatic diseases and the rehabilitation of rheumatic patients are an integral part of physiatric and rheumatological practice. Rheumatology patients are rehabilitated both as outpatients and as inpatients precisely because of the complexity of the pathology, which is multifactorial and by its nature diffusely affects both the musculoskeletal system and other organ systems. The manifestations of rheumatic diseases are an integral part of the disease, and we also call them extraskeletal manifestations. The complex presentation of symptoms and signs, as in rheumatoid arthritis, for example, overlaps with a number of other diseases such as fibromyalgia. Symptoms such as fatigue and stiffness are often vague, alongside other symptoms that may not be present at all, such as pain and swelling, which appear in the later stages of the disease. In temporal arteritis, or giant cell arteritis, which partly overlaps with polymyalgia rheumatica, treatment must be urgent to prevent serious complications. Treatment options for inflammatory rheumatic diseases are growing every day, but the basic medicines that are most often prescribed and most widely used are still glucocorticoids/corticosteroids, together with methotrexate. Rehabilitation must be tailored to the patient, the status of their disease and the medicines they take. Likewise, every form of physical activity, as well as therapeutic modalities and aids, must be adapted to patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases.
The priority of rheumatological rehabilitation is to establish and maintain function with suitable orthoses and aids, based on adapted physical activity and an exercise programme. Cooperation between a physiatrist and a rheumatologist is essential, and you can get this service at Faktor Zdravlje Polyclinic, where exactly this profile of specialists makes the most comprehensive patient care possible. The combined efforts of a rheumatologist and a physiatrist lead to a faster diagnosis, treat pain and inflammation, and improve function.
