Peoples have joint and muscle pain from time to time. If you have pain, stiffness and/or swelling in joints and/or muscles that does not improve within a few weeks you should see a rheumatologist.

• Diagnosis of or suspect that you have an inflammatory musculoskeletal condition
• If have painful, swollen, stiff joints that improved after treatment but returned when you stopped taking medication
• If have unusual test results

GMC specialists who diagnoses and treats:

• arthritis – where joints are painful, swollen and stiff
• other musculoskeletal conditions - which affect bones, muscles, tendons, ligaments as well as joints
• autoimmune diseases – where the musculoskeletal system and other parts of the body, including eyes, skin, internal organs and the nervous system, can be inflamed.