Allergy Specialist

Some people are allergic to certain foods which can aggravate arthritis. This varies greatly between individuals and only an allergy test can determine if particular foods are a problem for you. At the time of the original US survey insufficient numbers of participants had visited an allergy specialist for the results to be included; however in the 2005 UK survey a more significant proportion of people had visited an allergy spe¬cialist. As you can see the results don't suggest an allergy special¬ist can make an enormous difference to your arthritis, however it will at least establish if certain foods are or are not a problem for you. You can be referred to an allergy specialist by your GP.

For more information on arthritis and allergies contact the Arthritis Research Campaign or Allergy UK.

Musculoskeletal Physicians
Musculoskeletal medicine is an emerging discipline. Currently eight hospitals in the UK have musculoskeletal departments. Musculoskeletal physicians are orthodox medical doctors who have done lengthy additional training in the specific diagnosis and treatment of conditions of the spine, muscles and joints. Their treatment may consist of manipulation and exercises but they are also able to perform injections, such as prolotherapy and epidu¬rals and the more invasive techniques such as discography and intra-discal electro thermal therapy (IDETT) under X-ray guid¬ance. The discipline is a fusion of skills and techniques from general practice, rheumatology, orthopedics, pain management, physiotherapy, osteopathy and chiropractic, occupational health, sports medicine, rehabilitation, psychology, and psychiatry. Relatively few survey participants had visited a musculoskeletal physician reflecting the fact that this is a new branch of medicine, however 40 percent of participants at least received temporary