PMR MSK vs. Rheum

Started by peduncle
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peduncle

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PMR(MSK/sports) and Rheum seem similar in their line of work.... no?
 
Similar, yes. Approaches to the patient can be quite different though. Rheums are internal med trained and therefore tend to use a lot more Rx meds. Also they tend to see a little different patient population. They see RA, SLE, AS way more than we do. PM&R tends to get more problems of spine (HNP, DDD), weakness and numbness and disabilities.

I work in a multi-disciplinary clinic (10 ortho, 2 podiatry, 2 rheum and myself). The rheums send me mainly spine as they don't like it much. They occasionally send me a patient for spasticity or nerve blocks. I send them pts who need DMARDs or a thorough rheum workup - I order the basic labs, but don't really get into all the antibodies and such that they look at.

Otherwise, we see a lot of simiilar patients and do a lot of similar treatments. I write for more PT, they write for more meds. We both do joint injections and TPIs. Rheums are generally trained to Dx and Tx on disease models, while PM&R looks at it from more aof a functional standpoint.

Rheums also tend to do more hospital consults than most outpt MSK PM&Rs. The last inpt consult I did was over a year ago. Our rheums go to the hospitals most every week.
 
PMR(MSK/sports) and Rheum seem similar in their line of work.... no?

Rheum is Rheum (IM based with a focus on lab tests, pathophys of complex diesases and pharmacotherapies)

PM&R (MSK) is orthopedically based (including more abstract orthopedic evaluation including identification of subtle muscle imbalances, etc.)


The overlap is are certain Rheumatologic diseases with clear orthopaedic manifestations.