Rheumatology is a multidisciplinary branch of medicine that deals with the investigation, diagnosis and management of patients with arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions.  It incorporates over 200 disorders affecting joints, bones, muscles and soft tissues.

In general, rheumatic conditions fall into two main categories: inflammatory and non-inflammatory ones:

                           Inflammatory                                 Non-inflammatory

Joints                  Arthritis                                          Osteoarthritis

Spine                  Spondylitis                                     Spondylosis

Muscles              Myositis                                         Myopathy

Tendons             Tendonitis                                       Tendinopathy

Bones                Tendo-periostitis                             Osteoporosis

                          Enthesitis

Some rheumatic conditions are difficult to group that way, such as vascular inflammation (vasculitis), connective tissue diseases (autoimmune conditions) or certain bone disorders, including osteoporosis, osteomalacia, Paget’s disease of bone, hyperparathyreodism and many others.