Polymyalgia Rheumatica Center - Santa Cruz, CASanta Cruz Rheumatologist Doctors for Polymyalgia RheumaticaType of Physician: Rheumatologist What is a Rheumatologist? A subspecialty certification by the Board of Internal Medicine; practitioners treat diseases of the joints, muscles, bones, and tendons. The rheumatologist diagnoses and treats arthritis, back pain, muscle strains, common athletic injuries, etc. The rheumatologist may work closely with other specialists such as orthopaedic surgeons and physical therapists. Specialty: Rheumatology Common Name: Rheumatologist Doctors in Santa Cruz * Lester Miller MD  Santa Cruz Medical Foundation Soquel Ave  Joan V Barber MD  Thaila Ramanujam MD  Feng Lee & Restifo MD  Feng Lee & Restifo MD  Feng Lee & Restifo MD  Arthritis & Rheumatism Center  Arthritis & Rheumatism Center  Arthritis & Rheumatism Center  KPMC Santa Teresa Medical Center Rheumatology  SOAR Sports Orthopedic & Rehabilitation  Kaiser Santa Clara Rheumatology  Arthritis Care Center  G Ang-Fonte MD  Bruce J Dreyfuss MD  Monterey Joint Replacement & Sports Medicine  Camino Medical Group Mountain View Clinic  Camino Medical Group Mountain View Clinic  Gerlie L Papillion MD  Medical Specialties Clinic  Medical Specialties Clinic  Medical Specialties Clinic  Stanford University Medical Center  Palo Alto Medical Clinic Medical Specialties  Palo Alto Medical Clinic Medical Specialties  Heart Institute  Arthritis Center  Arthritis Center  Menlo Medical Clinic  SOAR Sports Orthopedic & Rehabilitation  Umesh Sab MD  Barry E Shibuya MD  Fremont Medical Group  Michael P Stevens MD  Peninsula Medical Center San Mateo Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation  Peninsula Medical Group  Lipton Kucera & Associates  Burlingame Pacifica Medical Group  Hisaka Ohmoto & Charlene Hu MDs  Washington Arthritis Center  East Bay Rheumatology  Arthritis and Rheumatology Center  Richard R Fong MD  UC Davis Rheumatology  Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center  Ephraim P Engleman MD  Thomas A McDermott MD  UCSF Rheumatology  Michael K Chan MD  SOAR Medical  Mercy Doctors Medical Group  Weitz Medical Management  Pacific Rheumatology Associates  Nancy Lee Carteron MD FACR  Pacific Rheumatology Associates  Pacific Heights Medical Group  Pacific Rheumatology Associates  Pacific Heights Medical Group  Robert J Deitz MD  Internal Medicine  Nishio & Sharma MD  Nishio & Sharma MD  UCSF VA Medical Center  Northern California Arthritis Center  Northern California Arthritis Center  Northern California Arthritis Center  Northern California Arthritis Center  Northern California Arthritis Center  Northern California Arthritis Center  John Muir Medical Center Hospitalist  Ronald G Connolly MD  Kaiser Permanente Medical Group Rheumatology  Ernest I Katler MD  Peter H Stein MD  Joan T Campagna MD  Kaiser Permanente  Kanwal Khanna MD  Sutter Gould Medical Foundation  Albert A Ferrari MD  Kaiser Stockton Rheumatology  Kaiser Stockton Rheumatology  Kaiser Stockton Rheumatology Santa Cruz, CaliforniaUpcoming Local Events2012-06-23
2012-06-24
2012-07-04
2012-07-07
2012-07-28
2012-08-04
2012-08-25
2012-10-06
2012-10-21
2012-11-18
Polymyalgia RheumaticaRead the Polymyalgia Rheumatica article » What is polymyalgia rheumatica?Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is a disorder of the muscles and joints characterized by pain and stiffness, affecting both sides of the body, and involving the shoulders, arms, neck, and buttock areas. Patients with polymyalgia rheumatica are typically over the age of 50 years. What causes polymyalgia rheumatica?The cause of polymyalgia rheumatica is not known. Recent research has indicated that genetic (inherited) factors play a role in who becomes afflicted with the illness. Theories have included viral stimulation of the immune system in genetically susceptible individuals. Rarely, polymyalgia rheumatica is associated with a cancer. In this setting, the cancer may be initiating an inflammatory immune response to cause the polymyalgia rheumatica symptoms.
What are symptoms of polymyalgia rheumatica?The onset of the illness can be sudden. A patient may have a healthy history until awakening one morning with stiffness and pain of muscles and joints throughout the body. These symptoms persist and are often accompanied by an intense sensation of fatigue. Some patients notice a gradual loss of appetite, weight, and energy. Depression can occur.
How is polymyalgia rheumatica diagnosed?The doctor frequently notes muscle tenderness and that the motion of the shoulders is limited by pain. The joints are usually not swollen. However, swelling of the small joints of the hands, wrists, and/or knees can occur. Blood testing for inflammation is generally abnormal, as indicated by a significant elevation in the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and/or C-reactive protein. There are no specific tests, however, for polymyalgia rheumatica and X-rays... Recommended Reading Related to Polymyalgia RheumaticaDepression facts
Other Related Polymyalgia Rheumatica ArticlesEmergency Contact for Santa Cruz
Nearby Santa Cruz Hospitals *Dominican Hospital Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center Watsonville Community Hospital Good Samaritan Hospital Mission Oaks Good Samaritan Hospital San Jose El Camino Hospital of Los Gatos Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center Santa Clara Valley Medical Center O'Connor Hospital Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center Saint Louise Regional Hospital El Camino Hospital Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula Regional Medical Center of San Jose Natividad Medical Center VA Palo Alto Health Care System Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System Stanford Hospital & Clinics Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Menlo Park Surgical Hospital Featured Articles*Provider Directory Terms of Use: The WebMD 'Provider Directory' is provided by WebMD for use by the general public as a quick reference of information about Providers. The Provider Directory is not intended as a tool for verifying the credentials, qualifications, or abilities of any Provider contained therein. Inclusion in the Provider Directory does not imply recommendation or endorsement nor does omission in the Provider Directory imply WebMD disapproval. |
Suggested Reading on Polymyalgia Rheumatica by Our Doctors
-
Related Diseases & Conditions
10 articles-
Depression
- Depression is an illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts and affects the way a person eats and sleeps, the way one feels about oneself, and the way one thinks about things. The principal types of depression are major depression, dysthymia, and bipolar disease (also called manic-depressive disease).
-
Fever
- Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degrees F. (37 degrees C.), in practice a person is usually not considered to have a significant fever until the temperature is above 100.4 degrees F (38 degrees C.). Fever is part of the body's own disease-fighting arsenal: rising body temperatures apparently are capable of killing off many disease- producing organisms.
-
Stroke
- A stroke results from impaired oxygen delivery to brain cells via the bloodstream. A stroke is also referred to as a CVA, or cerebrovascular incident. Symptoms of stroke include: sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg. Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding. Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes, sudden trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance, and/or sudden severe headache with no known cause. A TIA, or transient ischemic attack is a short-lived temporary impairment of the brain caused by loss of blood supply. Stroke is a medical emergency.
-
Vasculitis
- Vasculitis is a general term for a group of uncommon diseases which feature inflammation of the blood vessels. Each form of vasculitis has its own characteristic pattern of symptoms. The diagnosis of vasculitis is definitively established after a biopsy of involved tissue demonstrates the pattern of blood vessel inflammation. Treatment is directed toward decreasing the inflammation of the arteries and improving the function of affected organs.
-
Neck Pain
- Neck pain (cervical pain) may be caused by any number of disorders and diseases. Tenderness is another symptom of neck pain. Though treatment for neck pain really depends upon the cause, treatment typically may involve heat/ice application, traction, physical therapy, cortisone injection, topical anesthetic creams, and muscle relaxants.
-
Cancer
- Cancer is a disease caused by an abnormal growth of cells, also called malignancy. It is a group of 100 different diseases, and is not contagious. Cancer can be treated through chemotherapy, a treatment of drugs that destroy cancer cells.
-
Headache
- Headaches can be divided into two categories: primary headaches and secondary headaches. Migraine headaches, tension headaches, and cluster headaches are considered primary headaches. Secondary headaches are caused by disease. Headache symptoms vary with the headache type. Over-the-counter pain relievers provide short-term relief for most headaches.
-
Pain Management
- Pain management and treatment can be simple or complex, according to its cause. There are two basic types of pain, nociceptive pain and neuropathic pain. Some causes of neuropathic pain includes: complex regional pain syndrome, interstitial cystitis, and irritable bowel syndrome. There are a variety of methods to treat chronic pain, which are dependant on the type of pain experienced.
-
Blindness
- Blindness is the state of being sightless. Causes of blindness include macular degeneration, stroke, cataract, glaucoma, infection and trauma. Symptoms and signs may include eye pain, eye discharge, or the cornea or pupil turning white. Treatment of blindness depends upon the cause of the blindness.
-
Fatigue
- Fatigue can be described in various ways. Sometimes fatigue is described as feeling a lack of energy and motivation (both mental and physical). The causes of fatigue are generally related to a variety of conditions or diseases for example, anemia, mono, medications, sleep problems, cancer, anxiety, heart disease, drug abuse, and more. Treatment of fatigue is generally directed toward the condition or disease that is causing the fatigue.
-
Depression
-
Medications
8 articles -
Procedures & Tests
3 articles -
Pictures, Images & Quizzes
0 articles -
Doctor's & Expert's Views
3 articles -
Health News
1 articles -
Health Features
1 articles
