Treatments for Arthritis

Treatments for Arthritis

Arthritis treatment generally includes occupational or physical therapy, exercise, drugs, and sometimes surgery to correct joint damage. Treatments for osteoarthritis can help relieve pain and stiffness, but the disease may continue to progress. The same was true for rheumatoid arthritis in the past. But treatments in recent years have been able to slow or stop progression of joint damage.

The duration and intensity of pain and discomfort depend on the type of arthritis and the degree of severity.


Conventional Medicine

In the case of localized pain, stiffness, and immobility, the typical three-stage arthritis treatment consists of medication to relieve pain and inflammation, rest to let injured tissues heal themselves, and exercise to rebuild mobility and strength.
Joint Protection

Learning to protect your joints is an important part of arthritis treatment. With the help of an occupational therapist, you can learn easier ways to do your normal activities, such as avoiding positions that strain your joints, using your strongest joints and muscles while sparing weaker ones, wearing braces or supports for certain joints and using grab bars in the bath, modified door knobs, canes or walkers, as well as using devices to help you with tasks such as opening jars or pulling up socks and zippers.

Your doctor may recommend pain relievers combined with regimens of heat, rest and exercise, physical therapy, and controlled application of deep heat to soothe affected joints.


Arthritis Medication

To reduce pain and inflammation in mild cases of rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, your doctor will probably prescribe aspirin or another nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), such as ibuprofen. Your doctor may also suggest acetaminophen for osteoarthritis.

In more advanced cases, your doctor may recommend corticosteroid joint injections - strong anti-inflammatories - to ease the pain and stiffness of arthritic joints. Depending on the individual, results range from temporary relief to long-lasting suppression of symptoms. Doctors are also using hyaluronate gel-like solutions in joint injections to further restore the cushion and lubricating properities of normal joint fluid thereby minimizing pain. Some examples are Hyalgan, Synvisc, Supartz, and Orthovisc.

In the early 1900s, researchers discovered that certain compounds containing gold, given orally or by injection, gave relief to some people who have rheumatoid arthritis and caused total remission in others.
Note, however, that because the side effects of gold treatment can range from minor skin rash to severe blood and kidney disorders, this treatment is generally approached with caution.

Newer treatments using low doses of chemotherapy medications (methotrexate) have produced dramatic improvements in severe rheumatoid arthritis, and these treatments show great promise of preserving joint function. Other strong medications that have come along since methotrexate are Arava, Azulfidine, Enbrel, Imuran, Neoral, Plaquenil, Remicade, Humira, Kineret, Rituxan, and Orencia. In general, they work by suppressing the overactive immune system. Apheresis is another treatment for rheumatoid arthritis that removes antibodies from the blood.

Specific arthritis treatment will depend on the nature and seriousness of the underlying condition. The major concern is for healing the affected area before more serious problems occur. Treatment of infectious arthritis typically involves large intravenous doses of antibiotics as well as drainage of excess fluid from the joints.