Types of Arthritis (OCS Field Guide)

Presented by David Smelser and Austin Kercheville

Types of Arthritis (OCS Field Guide)

12-Month Subscription

Unlimited access to:

  • Thousands of CE Courses
  • Patient Education
  • Home Exercise Program
  • And more
Audio Runtime: 30 Minutes; Learning Assessment Time: 7 Minutes

This course aims to help clinicians recognize and distinguish between various types of arthritis and inflammatory conditions. Most attention is given to osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and psoriatic arthritis, but we also discuss reactive arthritis, septic arthritis, and gout. Although the aim of this course is to assist physical therapists who are preparing for a board-certification exam, all clinicians who see and treat patients with rheumatoid conditions can benefit from the discussion.

Learning Objectives
  • Discriminate between osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriatic arthritis given a clinical case scenario
  • Apply clinical diagnostic criteria to rule in or out ankylosing spondylitis given a clinical case
  • Distinguish between reactive arthritis, septic arthritis, and gout given a clinical case
  • Correlate patient pain patterns to common types of arthritis

Meet your instructors

David Smelser

Dr. Smelser is a clinical assistant professor at Georgia State University where he teaches in the musculoskeletal and clinical reasoning series of courses. He also produces and cohosts the leading OCS-prep podcast, OCS Field Guide. David continues to treat patients with orthopedic and vestibular impairments in a…

Read full bio

Austin Kercheville

Dr. Kercheville received his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He practices as a part of an interdisciplinary team focused on helping individuals with chronic pain improve health and maximize function. Dr. Kercheville also mentors aspiring clinical specialists, leads study…

Read full bio

Chapters & learning objectives

Types of Arthritis (OCS Field Guide)

1. Types of Arthritis (OCS Field Guide)

In this episode, David Smelser, PT, DPT, and Austin Kercheville, PT, DPT, dive deep into differentiating various types of arthritis, including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and more, using real-world clinical cases. Their conversation explores practical diagnostic tools and techniques to better manage and treat patients.