We treat both adults & adolescents with preemptive treatments.
Dr. Ali provides the diagnosis and treatment for individuals with arthritis, lupus, gout and other autoimmune connective tissue diseases, pain disorders of muscles & bones.
We offer patient-centered care with a preemptive approach. We want to slow the
disease progression and improve joint mobility.
We have served the Hendersonville community for over 15 years, caring for more than
15,000 patients – both young and young at heart.
Patients with pain management needs will be referred to a reputable physician that
specializes in that treatment. CAC is a non-opioid prescribing clinic.
Treatments Offered
A Rheumatologist provides the diagnosis & treatment for individuals with arthritis, lupus, gout and other autoimmune connective tissue diseases, pain disorders of muscles & bones. At CAC we treat both adults & young adolescents, offering the following treatments:
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a disease that causes bones to weaken. This can lead to rounded shoulders, loss of height and increases the risk of fractures. OP is painless, but if a fracture occurs it can be very painful. This is a serious health problem in the United States affecting about 28 million people, 80% of people with OP are women. This is the culprit cause of bone fractures in post menopausal women.
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis. It relates to the changes in cartilage and bone. The changes could lead to pain, stiffness, swelling and limitations in mobility. Obesity, joint injury, and muscle weakness are some of the risk factors for OsteoArthritis. OsteoArthritis can affect any joint, but most commonly it occurs in knees, hips, lower back and neck. Sometimes, small joints of the fingers, the base of the thumb and the great toe can be affected by it. As many as 21 million people in the United States have OsteoArthritis. Some of them may even be without symptoms.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Arth- means joint and –itis means inflammation. Rheumatoid Arthritis involves inflammation in the lining of joints which causes warmth, low mobility, swelling and pain in the joints. Rheumatoid Arthritis is a disease of the immune system, the system that normally protects your body against foreign invaders such as bacteria, fungi, or viruses. Your immune system protects your body in many ways. One of the most basic is the use of inflammation-the increase of blood and immune cells to a threatened part of the body. Inflammation is your body's natural response when bosy had received tissue damage from injury or infection. In Rheumatoid Arthritis, the immune system attacks the lining of your joints.
Rheumatoid Arthritis develops acutely within weeks or may take months to develop, affecting small joints of the body. The onset of the disease could be between the ages of 25 and 50 years old. Females are affected three times as compared to males. It often occurs later in life for men than women. However, anyone can get Rhematoid Arthritis, including children. When this occurs in children it is known as Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA).
The symptoms and course of Rheumatoid Arthritis varies from patient to patient and the symptoms change day by day. Rheumatoid Arthritis could be mild in some people with periods of activity called flairs and in some people it is continuously active and gets worse over time. It can cause the patient to feel sick all over, especially during flairs. Some might develop rheumatoid nodules, which are lumps of tissue that form under the skin. Often these occur over boney areas exposed to pressure.
Scleroderma
Scleroderma is a condition which causes the skin to get tight and harden. The age of onset is between 30 and 50 years old, with women being affected more often. It is an autoimmune disease. Scleroderma affects everyone differently.
Sjogren's Syndrome
Sjogren's Syndrome is an inflammatory autoimmune disease which causes dryness, especially of eyes and mouth. In autoimmune disease the immune system attacks itself causing inflammation and damage. Sjogren's Syndrome may occur primarily by itself or sometimes it can occur in association with a pre-existing disease like Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus or Myositis.
Sjögren's syndrome is the second most common rheumatic disease after rheumatoid arthritis. Its leading Practiceal manifestations are keratoconjunctivitis sicca and xerostomia. About 50% of patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome develop systemic manifestations including arthritis, Raynaud's phenomenon, lymphadenopathy, and lung involvement. Adult Still's disease is a form of polyarthritis with systemic manifestations seen in systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. It is relatively rare, as is remitting seronegative symmetric synovitis with pitting edema (so-called RS3PE syndrome), another form of adult-onset polyarthritis that can occur in isolation or associated with polymyalgia rheumatica, hematopoietic malignancies, or even rheumatoid arthritis
Gout
Gout is a form of arthritis that causes sudden and severe episodes of pain, tenderness, redness, warmth and joint swelling. It may affect one joint at a time but it can become chronic and affect several joints. The most common joint affected by gout is the large joint of the great toe. The swelling and pain in gout are caused by increased levels of uric acid in the blood and the formation of uric acid crystals in the joints. It affects about 2.1 million Americans, can occur at any age, in men it usually occurs after the age of 30.
Lupus
Lupus is a disease of the immune system that can affect joints, skin, kidneys, blood and other parts of the body. In Lupus the immune system produces antibodies that attack the bodies own tissues. It is an inflammatory condition that can be chronic. Chronic means the condition is long lasting, which suggests that it could last for the rest of the patients life. Patients with Lupus experience changes with signs and symptoms at different times, known as flairs and remissions. A flair is a period when the disease becomes more active with increased symptoms. Remission is a period when there are few or no signs and symptoms of Lupus. Rarely a patient may have a complete remission, but this does not necessarily mean that the disease has permanently gone.
Psoriatic Arthritis
Psoriatic Arthritis is a condition that causes pain and swelling in the joints and scaly patches on the skin. It usually occurs in people who have psoriasis. If someone does have psoriasis that does not mean that they will develop PA. The joint pain that is caused by PA is usually associated with pain and swelling especially in the knees, ankles, fingers and toes. They might also have neck or back pain and stiffness and this can limit their mobility. PA affects both men and women and the age of onset is between 30 and 55.
Raynaud's Phenomenon
Raynaud's Phenomenon describes the condition where exposure to cold or emotional stress can lessen the blood flow to the skin. It causes skin on fingers or toes to change color. About 3-5% of the general population have Raynaud's and about 15% being young women.
Bursitis, Tendinitis and Rheumatic Syndromes
Bursitis is the inflammation or irritation of a bursae. The bursae allows smooth gliding between bone and muscle.Tendinitis is an inflammation or irritation of a tendon. A tendon is a thick cord that attaches muscle to the bone and they act as pulleys to help muscles move a joint.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome results from pressure on the median nerve at the wrist. This nerve supplies sensation to the thumb, first two fingers and a part of the ring finger. The most common cause is the injury from repetitive use, diabetes, Rheumatoid Arthritis and other types of inflammation. Symptoms include numbness or tingling in the fingers, initially only at night, weakness of thumb and unexplained hand pain.
Tennis Elbow
Tennis Elbow occurs with over use of the forearm and muscles necessary for a strong grip in tennis and other sports. It can also happen in gardening or using tools that require clenching of the hand for a long time. Symptoms include aching pain on the outside of the elbow that travels down to the back of the forearm.
Plantar Fasciitis
Running, prolonged standing, flat feet, heel spurs and excessive weight can stress the plantar fascia. Plantar fascia is made up of thick, fibrous tissue that runs from heel to the toes on the soles of the feet.
Fibromyalgia And Sleep Disorder
Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and sleep disorders may be viewed as a vicious cycle: persons with FMS often experience severe pain, fatigue, and cognitive dysfunction, all of which contribute to sleep disturbances that, in turn, result in intensified FMS symptoms that, in turn, further interfere with sleep, and so on. Noting that more than 90% of an estimated 10 million Americans with FMS report having disrupted and disturbed sleep, the National Fibromyalgia Association (NFA) has responded by launching an awareness campaign designed to improve the quality of sleep in patients who have this condition. More specific goals of the campaign, called "Sweet Dreams," include increasing patients' and physicians’ knowledge of FMS-related sleep issues, particularly the debilitating effects of nonrestorative sleep.
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