Most Booked
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Lupus
- Gout
Your joints are telling you something — let's translate.
That morning stiffness. The knuckles that won't close. The wrist that punishes you for carrying groceries. These aren't things to manage around — they're signals worth decoding.
Find your condition. Understand your path.
Each section below is written by our physicians in plain language — with a symptom self-check and a preview of what your first visit looks like.
When cartilage wears thin, every step costs something.
Osteoarthritis isn't simply "wear and tear" — it's a living process where cartilage breaks down faster than it rebuilds. The result is bone-on-bone friction that sends pain signals up through knees, hips, and fingers. The good news: modern rheumatology has far more tools than it did a decade ago.
Symptom Self-Check
Tap to checkMedical History Review
We map when pain started, what triggers it, and how it's changed.
Physical Joint Examination
Hands-on assessment of range, swelling, and tenderness patterns.
Imaging Referral
X-rays or MRI ordered same-day to confirm cartilage state.
Personalized Treatment Plan
Options discussed: injections, physical therapy, medication, or surgical referral.
When your immune system mistakes your joints for a threat.
Inflammatory arthritis is a family of conditions — rheumatoid, psoriatic, reactive — where the immune system attacks the joint lining, causing persistent swelling, warmth, and the kind of morning stiffness that lasts hours, not minutes. Early diagnosis changes the entire trajectory.
Symptom Self-Check
Tap to checkSymptom Pattern Mapping
We distinguish inflammatory from mechanical pain — the distinction changes everything.
Blood Panel
RF, anti-CCP, CRP, ESR ordered to assess inflammation markers.
Joint Ultrasound
Real-time imaging to detect synovial inflammation not visible on X-ray.
Biologic or DMARD Discussion
Modern medications can halt progression — we explain every option plainly.
The body turning on itself — and the path to understanding why.
Lupus, Sjögren's syndrome, and vasculitis are systemic conditions where the immune system attacks multiple organ systems simultaneously. Symptoms are often diffuse — fatigue, rashes, joint pain, dry eyes — which makes diagnosis a process of careful exclusion. We take the time that requires.
Symptom Self-Check
Tap to checkFull Symptom Inventory
Autoimmune conditions affect multiple systems — we build the complete picture.
Comprehensive Autoantibody Panel
ANA, anti-dsDNA, SSA/SSB, ANCA — the tests that reveal immune misfiring.
Multi-System Assessment
We check kidneys, skin, eyes, and joints together — not in isolation.
Long-Term Management Plan
Hydroxychloroquine, immunosuppressants, and lifestyle modifications discussed.
The sharpest pain in rheumatology — and one of the most treatable.
Gout strikes fast and mercilessly — often the big toe, sometimes the ankle or knee, always at the worst moment. It's caused by uric acid crystals forming inside joints. The acute pain resolves, but without treatment, attacks return more frequently and damage accumulates. We stop the cycle.
Symptom Self-Check
Tap to checkAcute Flare Assessment
We confirm gout vs. septic arthritis — an important distinction made quickly.
Uric Acid & Kidney Function Tests
Serum urate and creatinine measured to guide long-term management.
Joint Aspiration (if needed)
Crystal analysis from joint fluid is the gold standard for diagnosis.
Urate-Lowering Therapy
Allopurinol or febuxostat titrated to keep uric acid below the crystal threshold.
Pain that doesn't show on scans — but is entirely, undeniably real.
Fibromyalgia is often the last diagnosis considered, after every other cause has been ruled out. But for the people living with it — the widespread muscle ache, the sleep that doesn't restore, the cognitive fog — it is a daily reality. We take it seriously from the first appointment.
Symptom Self-Check
Tap to checkSymptom Duration & Pattern Review
Fibromyalgia requires 3+ months of symptoms — we document carefully.
Exclusion Panel
Thyroid, inflammatory markers, and vitamin D tested to rule out mimics.
Pain Mapping Assessment
Widespread pain index and symptom severity score evaluated.
Multimodal Treatment Plan
Sleep therapy, exercise prescription, medication, and CBT referrals coordinated.
Rheumatology the way it should feel.
Most people with joint or autoimmune conditions see three or four doctors before reaching a rheumatologist. We built Flare to be the place where that search ends — with a specialist who has the tools, the time, and the vocabulary to name what you're feeling.
4,200+
Patients treated
18 min
Average wait time
94%
Diagnosis at first visit
3 locations
Across Chicago area
Diagnosis, not guesswork
We run the specific panels that actually differentiate between conditions — not just the basic inflammation markers.
First visit in under a week
New patient slots are reserved daily. You shouldn't wait three months to find out what's wrong.
A team that talks to each other
Your rheumatologist, physical therapist, and care coordinator share notes in real time — no repeating your story.
Plain-language treatment plans
After every visit, you receive a written summary of your diagnosis, your options, and the reasoning behind each recommendation.
Dr. Sarah Kowalski, MD
Rheumatologist · 14 years
Autoimmune & Inflammatory
Dr. Marcus Osei, MD, PhD
Rheumatologist · 9 years
Crystal Arthropathies & Gout
Dr. Priya Nair, MD
Rheumatologist · 11 years
Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain
The part that doesn't show on scans —
finally feeling heard.
“I'd been told it was 'just stress' for two years. Dr. Kowalski ran the right panel on my first visit and had a name for it within a week. I cried in the parking lot — not from bad news, but from relief.”
Jennifer Callahan
Diagnosed with Lupus, age 43 · Chicago
“My gout attacks were coming every six weeks. After three months at Flare, I haven't had one in over a year. The uric acid management protocol they put me on actually works.”
David Okonkwo
Gout management, age 52 · Evanston
“I'm a weekend runner. My knees were telling me to stop. Instead of telling me to quit, Dr. Osei gave me a treatment plan that got me back to a half marathon in eight months.”
Rachel Thornton
Osteoarthritis, age 38 · Oak Park
“The symptom self-check on this website was the first time anything matched what I was feeling. By the time I booked, I felt like I already knew what to expect. That matters.”
Thomas Reyes
Inflammatory Arthritis, age 47 · Naperville
Your first consultation
starts here.
Fill in three fields. We'll match you with the right physician and confirm your appointment within one business hour.
Download Our Joint Health Guide
A 12-page plain-language guide covering the five most common rheumatology conditions, what tests to ask for, and how to prepare for your first specialist visit.
What to expect at your first visit
- A 60-minute appointment — not 15 minutes
- A complete medical history review
- Physical joint examination by your physician
- Same-day lab orders if indicated
- A written summary before you leave
Insurance & billing
We accept Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, United Healthcare, Cigna, and Medicare. Self-pay rates available. Our billing team will verify coverage before your visit.