<s>[INST] When should I see a doctor?  [/INST] Consult your doctor about arthritis if joint pain persists for more than a couple weeks (and is not the obvious result of an injury). Patients with OA can receive symptomatic treatment from a rheumatologist or, in some cases, a primary care physician. It’s important for patients with inflammatory arthritis — RA is the most common type — to receive diagnosis and treatment from a rheumatologist as soon as possible. “The earlier the intervention, the better the outcome. We need to treat those folks aggressively and get on top of inflammation,” says Dr. Bonafede. “We can get rid of pain and prevent people from becoming disabled in the long term.”  Source: Providence. Link: https://blog.providence.org/blog/5-arthritis-questions-answered-4. Field: Rheumatology. Disease: Arthritis </s>