Dr. Tamar Brionez is a Houston TX arthritis doctor at Advanced Rheumatology of Houston. She has over 10 years of experience helping individuals in the greater Houston area improve their quality of life by managing their arthritis-related joint pain. No matter your symptoms or degree of pain, she believes you also deserve to live as pain-free as possible! Don’t wait another day! Call our Houston TX clinic today at (281) 766-7886 to learn more about how Dr. Brionez can improve your pain and transform your life!

Houston TX Arthritis Doctor Dr. Brionez

After earning her Doctor of Medicine from the Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Brionez completed her Fellowship in Rheumatology at the University of Texas Health Science Center. She then went on to earn her board-certifications in internal medicine and rheumatology in 2007 and 2009.

Her decade of experience diagnosing and treating various forms of arthritis allows her to provide a high standard of care backed up by practical expertise.

Dr. Brionez is particularly passionate about joint health and pain management. Therefore, if joint pain is taking over your life, Dr. Brionez is the Houston TX arthritis doctor for you.

What Is Arthritis?

Arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease that attacks a person’s joints. More specifically, most forms of arthritis cause pain by breaking down the soft, flexible tissue in your joints known as cartilage. This is done over long periods of time. As time passes, the person experiences more discomfort and then more pain. When too much cartilage is broken down, a person’s bones will begin to rub together when they bend their joints.

This can cause discomfort, pain, or even the chipping off of small pieces of bone known as spurs. The main three forms of arthritis that attack the joints in this way are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriatic arthritis.

Osteoarthritis

The first form of arthritis mentioned, osteoarthritis, also goes by the name the degenerative joint disease. It is the most commonly diagnosed form of arthritis in the US, affecting approximately 27 million Americans at any given moment.

This condition differs from rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis in that affected joints only experience swelling when the joint has been particularly active. Individuals with this form of arthritis will mainly experience the stiffness and pain associated with all three forms.

Houston TX arthritis doctor Dr. Brionez will help you navigate your treatment options, including creams, pain medications, and exercises that can help the commonly targeted joints (the knees, hip, back, neck, and fingers).

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Another common form of this chronic autoimmune disease is rheumatoid arthritis or RA. This rheumatologic condition mainly impacts women between the ages of 30 and 50, presents with more stiffness in the morning than any other time of day, and mainly affects the smaller joints in a person’s hands or feet.

RA has a wide variety of other symptoms that may vary greatly from person to person. Common symptoms include a lack of energy, minor fevers, appetite loss, dry mouth and eyes, and the formation of nodules or firm lumps around the elbows and hands.

In keeping with Dr. Brionez’s commitment to cutting edge pain management, Advanced Rheumatology of Houston is participating in a global research study on RA known as the contRAst study. This study aims to slow the progression of RA with an experimental medication. For further information regarding eligibility, see our website.

Psoriatic Arthritis

And finally, the third form of arthritis mentioned is psoriatic arthritis. This condition gets its name from its connection to the skin condition psoriasis, which causes red and white patches of scaly skin to form.

15% of those who experience psoriasis will also develop psoriatic arthritis. This most commonly occurs in adults between the ages of 30 to 50.

40% of those with psoriatic arthritis will not experience a significant response to the treatments currently available. Because of this, Advanced Rheumatology of Houston is participating in a second global research study, the KEEPsAKE study.

This study will also test the effectiveness of an experimental medication, but with a focus on improving pain management where other available medications consistently fail. For further information regarding eligibility, see our website.

Dr. Brionez’s most common recommendation for those with psoriatic arthritis is to use shoe inserts that reduce stress on one’s feet, ankles, and knees.

Unique Forms Of Arthritis

Gout is a unique form of arthritis commonly found in the foot. Instead of breaking down cartilage like the three other types discussed above, gout causes the creation of urate crystals. White blood cells attack these tiny needle-like crystals causing the person immense pain.

One function of healthy kidneys is to remove the uric acid from the body and thereby avoid the formation of these crystals. Therefore, individuals with lower-functioning kidneys are more susceptible to developing this rheumatologic condition.

A second unique form of arthritis Houston TX arthritis doctor Dr. Brionez frequently treats is ankylosing spondylitis. This inflammatory rheumatologic condition belongs to the spondyloarthritis family. Unlike most forms of arthritis, however, it does not target cartilage. Instead, it targets the ligaments and tendons known as entheses. Ankylosing spondylitis specifically targets the entheses in a person’s back. This heavily genetic inflammatory condition mainly impacts young men in their teens and early 20s.

Contact Us

Are you interested in participating in one of our global research studies? Is joint pain keeping you from doing the things you enjoy? Dr. Brionez has helped hundreds of Houstonians improve their lives, and she believes you also deserve to live as pain-free as possible! Don’t wait another day! Call Dr. Brionez today at (281) 766-7886.

The Advanced Rheumatology of Texas Houston clinic is open Monday – Friday from 8 am to 5 pm.

Local arthritis expert Dr. Brionez has over a decade of experience diagnosing and treating many forms of arthritis and their varying symptoms. If you are experiencing joint pain, Dr. Brionez is the Houston TX arthritis doctor you need.

Houston TX Fun Facts

1. The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo previously went by a very different name – Fat Stock Show and Livestock Exposition.
2. During the summer month of August, Miller Outdoor Theatre hosts Shakespeare in the Park.
3. And finally, Eclectic Menagerie Park contains several enormous sculptures.
4. For further information regarding Houston, visit here!