What can I expect from my first visit with a rheumatologist?

Question

Finally, after months and months of pain shooting up and down my leg (from arthritis in my knee) I'm going to see a rheumatologist.

What can I expect from the visit?

Will I be told to "do physical therapy"? like the orthopedic doctor suggested?

Seriously, I'm in so much pain I have a hard time walking. My knee is not inflamed, but it is affecting my entire leg - and now my butt.

Answer 1

I suggest you also see a Certified Nutritional Therapist to be tested to find out what nutritional deficiencies you have and they can recommend a good diet as well as supplementation.

Typically knee problems like you have described are due to weak kidneys and this can be a result of several things.  To treat your knees without addressing the kidneys is typical of what doctors do because they treat symptoms, not root causes.  It is possible that your knees have sustained an injury, but it doesn't sound like that is the issue.  Arthritis is typically due to INFECTION at the joints and intestinal infections, not inflammation at the joint.  A lot of this is due to a bad diet, especially the SAD diet (standard American diet).  A Rheumatologist will not address the nutrition side of the problem, typically.  I would start by addressing your diet before seeing the Rheumatologist.  A Certified Nutritional Therapist can test you for specific nutritional deficiencies and recommend a diet and possibly supplement that will make you healthy.  If that doesn't work, then you always have the option of seeing the doctor.  

good luck to you

Answer 2

It's certainly possible they might refer you to PT, but they will usually first assess if any rheumatological conditions might need to be addressed first.  This may be based on their physical exam, and/or diagnostic testing.  In cases where there are truely underlying systemic causes of the pain, rheumatologists will typically try to address these first and lessen the pain prior to beginning PT.