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Rheumatology covers a broad range of diseases that involve inflammation or degeneration of connective tissues, particularly joints, muscles, bones, and ligaments. Many of these diseases are considered autoimmune in nature, which is when the body’s immune system turns on itself and mistakenly attacks itself, leading to inflammation and damage.
Some of the more well known rheumatic diseases are rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, scleroderma, osteoarthritis, vasculitis, and gout, although there are many more. Rheumatic conditions often lead to pain, stiffness, and swelling and can severely impact quality of life. Because these diseases affect more than one organ, treatment often involves comprehensive multidisciplinary collaboration to address the complex and chronic nature of these diseases.
One of the most common rheumatic diseases is osteoarthritis which can occur in any place where there is a bone, for example, the spine. When it comes to spinal osteoarthritis chronic pain, diagnostic agreement between a first and second opinion varied from 53% to 96%, and agreement on the need for surgery ranged from 0% to 83%. These wide variations show that a second opinion can have value1.
Dr. Vikram Garg, MD, is a distinguished rheumatologist known for his extensive expertise and
contributions to healthcare. He earned his Doctorate of Medicine from SUNY Upstate Medical
University, followed by an Internal Medicine residency at Scripps Clinic/Green Hospital and a
fellowship in Rheumatology at UCLA. Dr. Garg is board-certified in both Internal Medicine and
Rheumatology, with additional certification in MSK Ultrasound.
His career spans pivotal roles, including as a physician speaker and peer reviewer for various
medical entities. Dr. Garg has been actively involved in research, notably exploring
musculoskeletal ultrasound protocols and the impact of obesity on Rheumatoid Arthritis. He is a
member of prestigious medical societies such as the American College of Rheumatology and
has presented his findings at numerous conferences. Dr. Garg's commitment extends beyond
clinical practice to include mentoring fellows and contributing to medical education initiatives.
This website is an informative site that aims to offer its users find helpful information regarding a second opinion services that will be suitable for their medical condition. The content provided in this website is not and shall not be taken as expert or professional medical advice for any matter and is not an alternative to an in-person physician consultation. Our services are different from the diagnostic service typically provided by a physician, as the physicians do not have the benefit of information that would be obtained by examining you in person, observing your physical condition, or conducting diagnostic testing to the specifications of the physician. Therefore, the physician may not be aware of facts or information that would affect the physician ́s medical opinion of your condition. In some cases, these facts may be critical to the opinion. USARAD is not responsible for potential errors in opinion resulting from missing, incomplete, poorly translated or illegible records, or poor-quality images
