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£300
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About Dr Sonia Panchal
Personal Profile
You may not know whether you need a rheumatologist. You may simply know that your joints hurt, you are stiff when you wake up, something keeps swelling, you are exhausted for no obvious reason, or you just don’t feel like yourself.
Perhaps your symptoms are getting worse. Perhaps tests so far haven’t provided an explanation. Or perhaps you already have a diagnosis such as rheumatoid arthritis or another autoimmune condition, but want to understand what more you can do to improve your health.
These are the patients Dr Sonia Panchal sees in her private rheumatology practice in Coventry and Birmingham, welcoming people from across the West Midlands.
Dr Panchal is a highly experienced Consultant Rheumatologist with a particular interest in inflammatory arthritis, autoimmune disease and persistent joint and musculoskeletal symptoms. But her approach to rheumatology goes beyond simply identifying a condition and prescribing treatment.
She believes that the diagnosis matters, but so does the person living with it.
Her consultations start with listening: understanding what has changed, how symptoms are affecting your life and what you most want to get back to. From there, she works to establish what is causing your symptoms and to create a clear, personalised plan for moving forward.
Dr Panchal combines specialist training in Rheumatology and General Internal Medicine with training in functional health principles and deep transformation. This gives her a distinctive, whole-person approach to care. Alongside appropriate medical treatment, she is interested in the wider factors that can influence health and wellbeing and in helping patients understand where they themselves may have the power to make a difference.
Her approach remains firmly grounded in evidence-based medicine. Medication can be an important and sometimes essential part of treating rheumatological disease. But Dr Panchal also believes that healthcare should ask a bigger question than simply, “How do we control this disease?”
It should also ask, “How can we help this person become as well as possible?”
For that reason, conversations may extend beyond medication to areas such as movement, nutrition, sleep, stress and other lifestyle factors where these are relevant to an individual’s health. For patients who are keen to take an active role in their wellbeing, this can provide a different experience of rheumatology: one in which they are not simply the recipient of treatment, but an informed and active participant in their own care.
For some people, the priority is finally understanding why they are experiencing pain, stiffness, swelling or fatigue. For others, it is controlling an established inflammatory or autoimmune disease. Some want to understand what they can do alongside their medical treatment to improve their health, while others may wish, where it is clinically safe and appropriate, to explore whether medication can be reduced over time.
There is no single template, because there is no single type of patient.
Dr Panchal’s aim is to give people clarity about what is happening, confidence in what happens next and a sense that their health is something they can actively participate in rather than something that is simply happening to them.
As she describes it:
“Health is not just the absence of disease. It’s the freedom to live fully, physically, mentally and emotionally. My aim is to help patients understand their health, recognise what is possible and support them in becoming as well as they can be.”
Dr Sonia Panchal sees private rheumatology patients at The Meriden Hospital in Coventry and The Priory Hospital in Birmingham, welcoming patients from Coventry, Birmingham and across the wider West Midlands.
Outside medicine, Dr Panchal loves travelling and discovering new places, with good food usually being an important part of the itinerary. She particularly enjoys experiencing different cultures and, above all, connecting with people, something she values just as much in life as she does in her work.
Questions and Answers with Dr Sonia Panchal1. What’s actually wrong with me?That’s usually the first thing people want to know, and it’s completely understandable. Joint pain, swelling, stiffness or fatigue can have many different causes, from relatively straightforward problems to inflammatory or autoimmune conditions. You don’t need to know what’s wrong before you come and see me, that’s exactly what the consultation is for. My first job is to listen carefully to what has been happening, understand how your symptoms are affecting you, examine you and start working out what might be causing them. If further tests or scans are needed, we can then decide which ones are actually appropriate for you. The aim is to move you away from uncertainty and towards a clear diagnosis and plan. 2. Is this serious, could it get worse or cause lasting problems?This is a very common worry, particularly when symptoms have been getting worse or you’ve been waiting some time for answers. The answer depends on what is causing your symptoms. Many causes of joint and muscle pain are not dangerous and can be managed very effectively. However, some inflammatory and autoimmune conditions do need to be identified and treated promptly because ongoing inflammation can sometimes lead to joint damage or other complications. That’s why getting the right diagnosis matters. Once we understand what is happening, I can explain what it means for you, whether there is anything we need to be concerned about and, importantly, what we can do about it. I’ll always try to give you a clear and realistic explanation rather than leaving you worrying about the unknown. 3. Can it be treated and will I always have it?This depends entirely on the diagnosis. Some conditions may settle or resolve, while others are longer-term conditions that we manage. The good news is that there are now many effective treatments available for rheumatological conditions. Treatment can often significantly improve symptoms, control inflammation and help people get back to doing the things that matter to them. Once we know what we are dealing with, I’ll talk you through the management options and what you can realistically expect. My aim is not simply to give your condition a name, but to help you understand it and find the best way of getting you feeling and functioning as well as possible. 4. What happens at my first appointment, and how quickly can I get some answers?Your first appointment is really about understanding the whole picture. We’ll talk through your symptoms in detail, when they started, how they have changed and how they are affecting your day-to-day life. I’ll review any previous tests, scans or treatments you’ve had and carry out an examination. Depending on what we find, I may recommend further investigations such as blood tests or imaging. These will be guided by your particular symptoms rather than simply requesting the same tests for everyone. In many cases, I’ll be able to give you an initial impression at that first consultation and explain what I think the next steps should be. Sometimes a definite diagnosis requires further investigation, but either way, the aim is for you to leave knowing what we are looking for and with a clear plan for what happens next. 5. My tests have been normal, but I still don’t feel right, could something still be wrong?Yes. Normal blood tests can be reassuring, but they don’t necessarily explain why you are experiencing pain, stiffness, swelling, fatigue or other symptoms. Not every rheumatological condition shows up clearly on routine blood tests, and test results are only one part of making a diagnosis. Your symptoms, their pattern over time, your examination and, where appropriate, imaging or more specific investigations can all be important. Equally, sometimes the assessment shows that the problem isn’t due to an inflammatory rheumatological condition. That information is useful too, because it can help us look in the right direction rather than continuing to repeat the same tests. If you don’t feel right, I think it’s important that we listen to that, look at the whole picture and try to understand why. |
Patient Testimonial - October 2026
"I have suffered with physical pain for over 20+ years, had countless Drs visits and tests but always been told they couldn't work out what was wrong with me. I had almost given up hope but then I decided to go private. I have had two appointments with Dr. Sonia Panchal now and she has managed to get me diagnosed within those two appointments. I have wasted over 20+ years in pain and confusion and I dread to think how much longer it would have taken to diagnose me. She has also sent my GP a follow up plan including medication and other support that needs to be put in place. I 100% recommend Dr. Panchal’s clinic. It is worth its weight in gold."
Clinical Interests
Many people who come to see me don’t yet have a diagnosis. You may simply know that something doesn’t feel right.
Dr Panchal see patients experiencing symptoms such as joint pain, swelling or stiffness; painful hands, feet, knees or other joints; persistent or unexplained fatigue; muscle or widespread pain; inflammatory back pain; recurrent episodes of a hot, swollen joint; unexplained rashes alongside joint symptoms; or concerns about bone health or osteoporosis.
Sometimes blood tests have been abnormal. Sometimes they have been completely normal despite ongoing symptoms. And sometimes you may already have a diagnosis but want further advice about your condition or treatment.
Dr Sonia Panchal's clinical interests include:
- Inflammatory arthritis including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, seronegative arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. These conditions can cause persistent joint pain, swelling and stiffness, often with prolonged stiffness in the morning or after periods of rest.
- Autoimmune and connective tissue diseases including conditions such as lupus and Sjögren’s syndrome, which can cause a combination of symptoms including joint pain, fatigue, rashes, dry eyes or mouth and other symptoms elsewhere in the body.
- Osteoarthritis which commonly causes joint pain and stiffness and can affect mobility and everyday activities.
- Gout and pseudogout (CPPD) which can cause sudden attacks of severe pain, redness, heat and swelling in a joint.
- Osteoporosis and metabolic bone conditions including assessment of bone health, fracture risk and conditions such as Paget’s disease.
- Fibromyalgia and widespread pain where symptoms can include widespread pain, fatigue, poor sleep and difficulty concentrating, sometimes despite routine investigations being normal.
- Soft tissue and tendon problems including tendonitis and bursitis, which can cause pain around the joints and affect movement and function.
She also offers joint and soft tissue injections where these are clinically appropriate.
Dr Sonia Panchal advises that "If you don’t know which of these conditions, if any, might explain your symptoms, you don’t need to work that out before making an appointment. That is part of what the consultation is for."
Professional Memberships
- Royal College of Physicians London
- British Society for Rheumatology
- European Union League Against Rheumatism
- Midlands Rheumatology Society
