The Woodlands TX arthritis doctor, Dr. Tamar Brionez, has over 10 years of experience diagnosing and treating arthritis. She has helped hundreds of individuals living in The Woodlands manage their pain and improve their life. She believes you also deserve to live as pain-free as possible! If arthritic joint pain is impacting your life, you need Dr. Brionez and her decade of passion and expertise. Don’t wait another day, call our clinic at (281) 766-7886 to book your life-changing appointment today!

Dr. Brionez The Woodlands TX arthritis doctor

Your local arthritis expert can diagnose and treat autoimmune disorders, diseases of the joints, and any other rheumatologic condition that may be causing you pain.

Dr. Brionez has been board-certified in internal medicine since 2007 and rheumatology since 2009. Throughout her decade serving your community, she has maintained a high standard of service with a passionate focus on joint pain management. Her passion for pain management is particularly evident in her participation in ongoing global research focused on new pain management resources for arthritis.

What Is Arthritis?

Arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease that often causes stiffness, swelling, tenderness, and discomfort or pain in the joints it affects.

There are several forms of arthritis that impact the body in different ways. The most common form targets a person’s joints and breaks down the soft, flexible connective tissue known as cartilage. Over time, as the cartilage breaks down, joints become stiff, and bending can become uncomfortable or painful. When too much cartilage is destroyed, your bones will begin to rub against one another when the joint bends. This can cause immense pain and can create bone spurs.

Three common forms of arthritis that act in this way are osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriatic arthritis. Two unique forms that act very differently are gout and spondyloarthritis.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis diagnosed in the US. This chronic rheumatologic condition, also known as the degenerative joint disease, is estimated to affect over 27 million Americans.

One way this form of arthritis differs from rheumatoid or psoriatic arthritis is that the person will only experience swelling in affected joints after that joint has been particularly active. Instead of the swelling and tenderness mostly associated with rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis is mainly hallmarked by joint stiffness.

Dr. Brionez is The Woodlands TX arthritis doctor to manage your discomfort and pain while preventing the formation of bone spurs. Her treatment plans for osteoarthritis commonly include creams, medications, and exercises to lessen pain and stress in commonly targeted joints, including knees, hips, and fingers.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

While osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis in the US, rheumatoid arthritis is the most common Dr. Brionez diagnoses and treats at our clinic in The Woodlands.

Rheumatoid arthritis, or RA for short, most commonly impacts women between the ages of 30 and 50. It often presents with intense stiffness that improves throughout the day. The most common joints affected are the smaller joints in the hands and feet.

Outside of these patterns, RA can cause a wide array of other symptoms. These symptoms can 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.

Dr. Brionez is passionate about working with individuals struggling with the symptoms of RA and improving their joint pain. In keeping with this passion and her commitment to staying current in her treatment options, Advanced Rheumatology of Houston is participating in a global research study – the contRAst study. The purpose of this study is to test a new medication that claims it can slow the progression of this autoimmune disease.

Psoriatic Arthritis

While attacking the joints in a similar fashion, this form of arthritis is very different from the previously mentioned two. This form of arthritis gets its name from its connection to psoriasis, a skin condition that causes red and white patches of scaly skin.

Of those impacted by psoriasis, 15% will develop psoriatic arthritis.

Of that 15%, 40% will not respond to the treatments currently available to them. Because of her commitment to improving the lives of everyone experiencing the symptoms of a rheumatologic condition, Advanced Rheumatology of Houston is participating in the global KEEPsAKE study.

The KEEPsAKE study aims to test the effectiveness of a medication that may improve pain management in those with psoriatic arthritis where current options consistently fail. If current medication options have failed you, you may be eligible to participate in this study at our clinic in The Woodlands. For further information regarding eligibility, see our website or call our clinic today!

Gout

Much like rheumatoid arthritis, gout commonly targets the smaller joints in one’s body. Gout specifically targets a person’s feet, starting with the big toe.

Unlike the other three forms of arthritis discussed above, gout does not cause pain by breaking down cartilage. Instead, it causes tiny needle-like urate crystals to form within your joints. These crystals cause pain on their own, but most of the intense pain individuals with gout experience comes from their white blood cells attacking the crystals.

Healthy kidneys remove the proper amount of uric acid from the body, and this is typically enough to prevent gout. However, those with low-functioning kidneys may find themselves at risk.

Spondyloarthritis

A second unique form of arthritis commonly treated by The Woodlands arthritis doctor falls within the family spondyloarthritis. The most common form Dr. Brionez diagnoses and treats at our clinic in The Woodlands is ankylosing spondylitis.

This family of inflammatory conditions is unique in that instead of impacting the cartilage within the joints or forming urate crystals like the previously mentioned forms of arthritis, spondyloarthritis targets the ligaments and tendons known as entheses. Ankylosing spondylitis specifically targets entheses in a person’s back. It is heavily dependent on genetics and mainly impacts males in their late teens and early 20s.

Contact Us

Advanced Rheumatology of Houston’s clinic is open from 8 am to 5 pm Monday – Friday. Call (281) 766-7886 to book your appointment today!

Don’t wait another day to start managing your arthritis-related joint pain with The Woodlands TX arthritis doctor Dr. Brionez.

The Woodlands TX Fun Facts

1. Firstly, the first high school in The Woodlands opened in 1976!
2. Secondly, there are almost 150 parks in The Woodlands area!
3. Lastly, the George Mitchell Nature Preserve has more than 12,000 protected acres of nature and wildlife.
4. Learn further information regarding The Woodlands here!