Rheumatoid Arthritis Care

We provide expert care to relieve rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and help you live without joint pain.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Care

We provide expert care to relieve rheumatoid arthritis symptoms and help you live without joint pain.

Leading-edge Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatments

Rheumatoid arthritis is a condition that happens when your immune system attacks the lining of your joints, causing pain and swelling. Typically, this type of arthritis affects your smaller joints first, such as your fingers and toes. As the disease progresses, it may spread to larger joints, including the spine. Swelling from rheumatoid arthritis leads to bone wear and joint disfigurement and can also damage your blood vessels, eyes, nerves, heart, lungs, kidneys and skin. 

Although rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis symptoms are the same, the difference between osteoarthritis versus rheumatoid arthritis is the symptoms’ cause. Wear and tear on the joints causes osteoarthritis — not a problem with the immune system. 

Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis vary and may come and go. Sometimes symptoms disappear for a period — called remission. And other times, symptoms get worse — called flares or flare-ups. Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms may include: 

  • Appetite loss 
  • Back and neck pain 
  • Fever 
  • Joint stiffness, particularly in the morning or after an extended period of sitting or lying down 
  • Swollen, tender joints 
  • Tiredness 

Rheumatoid arthritis treatments focus on relieving pain and swelling and preventing swelling-related damage. Your treatment may include medicines, physical therapy and lifestyle changes, like weight loss and avoiding foods that may increase swelling.  

When nonsurgical therapies aren’t enough to relieve your symptoms, our specialists can perform arthritis-related surgeries — including minimally invasive approaches and joint replacement surgery. Our goal is to help you live without pain. 

Personalized Rheumatoid Arthritis Care

Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms vary for each person, so we customize your treatment to help give you the best possible results.

If rheumatoid arthritis affects your spine, you can get the latest treatments to relieve back and neck pain.

You benefit from a team approach to your care, including specialists in spine care, orthopedics, rheumatology, pain management, physical therapy and nutrition. 

Our doctors are named “Top Doctors” by Los Angeles and Pasadena magazines.

Ram Kiran Alluri, MD

Accepting new patients
Assistant Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery
Specialties
Spine Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery

Thomas C. Chen, MD, PhD

Accepting new patients
Professor of Neurological Surgery
Specialties
Neurosurgery, Spine Surgery, Brain Tumor  View more

Raymond J. Hah, MD

Accepting new patients
Associate Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery
Specialties
Spine Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery

Patrick C. Hsieh, MD

Accepting new patients
Professor of Clinical Neurological Surgery
Specialties
Neurosurgery, Spine Surgery

John C. Liu, MD

Accepting new patients
Professor of Neurosurgery
Specialties
Neurosurgery, Spine Surgery

Christopher C. Ornelas, MD

Accepting new patients
Chief of Spine Medicine, Director of USC Spine Medicine Serv …
Specialties
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Orthopedic Surgery, Pain Medicine  View more

Michael Safaee, MD

Accepting new patients
Assistant Professor Of Clinical Neurological Surgery
Specialties
Neurosurgery, Spine Surgery

Mark J. Spoonamore, MD

Accepting new patients
Associate Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery
Specialties
Spine Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery

Gene Tekmyster, DO

Accepting new patients
Assistant Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery
Specialties
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Sports Medicine, Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine  View more

Jeffrey C. Wang, MD

Accepting new patients
Professor of Clinical Orthopaedic Surgery and Neurosurgery ( …
Specialties
Spine Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery

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