A rheumatologist is a doctor who specializes in musculoskeletal disorders and certain autoimmune conditions. They are board-certified internists or pediatricians who are qualified by additional training and experience in the diagnosis and treatment of arthritis and other diseases of the joints, muscles, and bones, including those that are inflammatory and autoimmune in nature. Rheumatologists diagnose, treat, and manage a broad range of conditions, including inflammatory (rheumatic) disorders that affect muscles, joints, and bones, connective tissue diseases that affect supporting structures like ligaments and tendons, and autoimmune and inflammatory conditions in people of all ages. They consider every organ system when looking for the cause of symptoms and often act as detectives to help put together the pieces of a complex puzzle of symptoms and lab tests. Some of the most common conditions treated by rheumatologists include rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, osteoarthritis, gout, psoriatic arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome, fibromyalgia, vasculitis, scleroderma, antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), myositis, sarcoidosis, polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), and temporal arteritis (or giant cell arteritis) . Seeing a rheumatologist early on can help patients avoid waiting before receiving a diagnosis, and gathering the clues and helping patients figure out what’s going on is central to rheumatology.