KUNC - Commentary Transcript .
Rheumatology is the medical specialty that deals with arthritis.
I took an elective in rheumatology in medical school because I d noticed that virtually every patient I saw who was over fifty years of age had joint complaints. These are fascinating inflammatory diseases that deliver scads of rich insights into genetics and the function of the immune system. Fortunately, the vast majority of arthritis is not inflammatory. Cartilage is a wonderfully elastic, tough and slippery substance, the perfect thing to coat the ends of bones where they meet to form joints. Once damaged by injury or overuse, it may never recover completely.