The Rheumatologist
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
  • Technology
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • Events
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
    • From the College
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Arthritis & Rheumatology
    • Arthritis Care & Research
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Research Reviews
    • Annual Meeting
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
    • Rheumatology Image Bank
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / Treating Rheumatologic Illnesses in Athletes

Treating Rheumatologic Illnesses in Athletes

May 13, 2016 • By Simon M. Helfgott, MD

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF
My patient was a crew member on a sailboat and planning to compete in the Olympics in Sydney in just 12 weeks.

My patient was a crew member on a sailboat and planning to compete in the Olympics in Sydney in just 12 weeks.
Tero Hakala/shutterstock.com

Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. … The potential for greatness lives within each of us. —Wilma Rudolph, U.S. Olympic sprinter & winner of three gold medals

You Might Also Like
  • Treating the Athlete: New Thoughts on How to Prevent & Treat Arthritis in Athletes & Raise Their Awareness
  • Falls Prevention in Vancouver: Is It Time to Advise Our Athletes to Play It Safe?
  • Rheumatologist Nathan Wei, MD, Focuses on Alternatives to Surgery for Athletes
Explore this issue
May 2016
Also by this Author
  • Can Systemic Inflammation Influence Mood?

From Spinnaker to Wheelchair

It can be an unnerving experience when the patient you are about to see is young and wheelchair bound. Because my office is situated just across the hall from our orthopedic colleagues, I often assume that these patients have been wheeled over in error. Although rheumatologic illnesses can rob an individual of their strength and mobility, thankfully, better therapies and advances in musculoskeletal care make this a rare event. Brett, however, had followed the correct coordinates to appear at my doorstep that Friday morning, hours before the start of the Memorial Day weekend, heralding the unofficial start of summer in the Northeast.

The reason for Brett’s immobility became obvious fairly quickly. He had developed an aggressive polyarthritis over the course of just a few weeks, limiting his ability to walk or move about freely. Several fingers and toes were beefy, thick and swollen, confirming why the colloquial term for dactylitis, sausage swelling, is apt. After Brett was told by a local doctor that his failure to improve following a course of oral antibiotics left him with few therapeutic options, except for using more potent intravenous antibiotics, his girlfriend had driven him from his home in Newport, R.I., north to Boston.

Newport is a lovely coastal community and a popular tourist destination renowned for its magnificent mansions that served as the summer “cottages” for the wealthiest of the wealthy, the captains of Wall Street and the industrialists who built America. This is where the Astors, the Vanderbilts, the Morgans and other families of their ilk gathered each summer to relax and play. For many years, its coastal waters served as the site for the America’s Cup sailing races, arguably the most patrician of all sporting events in America.

Brett’s look of anguish and despair, the tears welling in his eyes, were understandable. He was in considerable pain. He couldn’t move. He could barely look after himself. He needed a bedpan. Who wouldn’t be terrified by this whirlwind sequence of events that had abruptly transformed this healthy young guy into an invalid?

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 Single Page

Filed Under: Conditions, Rheuminations Tagged With: athletes, polyarthritis, rheumatologist, rheumatology, TreatmentIssue: May 2016

You Might Also Like:
  • Treating the Athlete: New Thoughts on How to Prevent & Treat Arthritis in Athletes & Raise Their Awareness
  • Falls Prevention in Vancouver: Is It Time to Advise Our Athletes to Play It Safe?
  • Rheumatologist Nathan Wei, MD, Focuses on Alternatives to Surgery for Athletes
  • Is the Toll Sports Take on Athletes’ Bodies Worth Glory on the Gridiron?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rheumatology Research Foundation

The Foundation is the largest private funding source for rheumatology research and training in the U.S.

Learn more »

Simple Tasks

Learn more about the ACR’s public awareness campaign and how you can get involved. Help increase visibility of rheumatic diseases and decrease the number of people left untreated.

Visit the Simple Tasks site »

American College of Rheumatology

Visit the official website for the American College of Rheumatology.

Visit the ACR »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2019 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.