Rheumatology

The Department of Rheumatology provides outpatient and inpatient treatment for medical pathologies of the musculoskeletal system according to the recommendations of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR).

In addition to the medical services offered, the Department of Rheumatology provides training in rheumatology for interns and residents of the Faculty of Medicine of Saint Joseph University, in collaboration with European and North American university hospitals under the authority of the FM of USJ.

The Department of Rheumatology, composed of 5 rheumatologists, provides the following services:

1. Outpatient and Inpatient Medical Care

Certain activities can be performed within the technical platform. They require a frequent update and essential expertise for the proper management of a certain number of serious pathologies, albeit uncommon (e.g. polymyositis and muscle biopsies, refractory inflammatory arthritis and isotopic synoviortheses) or less serious but common (e.g articular and periarticular injections of corticosteroids, hyaluronic acid or Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP)).

      2. Diseases Managed by the Department of Rheumatology of HDF:

1. Biomechanical joint diseases:

1. Osteoarthritis
2. Osteonecrosis
3. Algodystrophy
4. Adhesive capsulitis

2. Inflammatory joint diseases:
   1. Rheumatoid arthritis
   2. Spondyloarthropathies: ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, rheumatism linked to inflammatory enterocolitis…
   3. Connective tissue diseases: Lupus, Sjögren’s Syndrome, dermatomyositis, polymyositis, scleroderma…
   4. Vasculitis: Horton's disease, Takayasu…
   5. Behçet's disease
   6. Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF)
   7. Other Inflammatory rheumatism: sarcoidosis…

3. Metabolic joint diseases:
   1. Hyperuricemia and gout
   2. Chondrocalcinosis
   3. Hydroxyapatite rheumatism

4. Rachialgia and radiculalgia:
   1. Degenerative disk diseases (osteoarthritis and herniated disk)
   2. Neck pain and cervicobrachial neuralgia
   3. Cervical spinal stenosis and cervical spondylotic myelopathy
   4. Back pain and intercostal neuralgia
   5. Low back pain, sciatica and Cruralgia
   6. Lumbar spinal stenosis

5. Tunnel syndromes:
   1. Thoracic outlet syndrome
   2. Carpal tunnel syndrome
   3. Cubital tunnel syndrome in the eblow…
   4. Morton’s de Morton
   5. Tarsal tunnel syndrome…

6. Tendinopathies in the upper extremity:
   1. Shoulder tendinopathy
   2. Elbow tendinopathy
   3. Wrist tendinopathy
   4. Hand tendinopathy

7. Tendinopathies in the lower extrimity:
   1. Hip tendinopathy
   2. Knee tendinopathy
   3. Ankle tendinopathy
   4. Foot tendinopathy

8.  Weakening osteopathies:
   1. Osteoporosis
   2. Osteomalacia       
9.  Fibromyalgia and related conditions
10.  Osteoarticular infections:
    1. Infectious arthritis
    2. Infectious spondylodiscitis
    3. Infectious osteitis and osteomyelitis

3. Interventional Rheumatology and Advanced Techniques:

1. Ultrasound-guided or x-ray guided injections
2. Shock wave therapy
3. Isotopic synoviorthesis
4. Podiatry
5. Bone densitometry