Arthritis Treatment Options
Care for arthritis often involves more than one type of treatment.
Treatment may vary over time and may be different depending on the kind of
arthritis.
Consult your doctor to discuss the best treatment options for you.
There are three basic categories of treatments, and your plan may involve one, two, or all three:
Medication
Many drugs, both prescriptions and over-the-counter medications, are used to treat arthritis. Common medications are aspirin-free pain relievers, anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, disease modifiers, and sleep medications.
Exercise
Regular exercise is important to keep the body moving and flexible. It may lessen pain, increase movement, reduce fatigue, and helps you look and feel better.
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Use of heat or cold over joints may provide short- term relief from pain
and stiffness
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Pacing helps protect your joints by alternating periods of activity with
periods of rest so that your joints do not tire from the stress of
repeated tasks
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Joint and muscle exercises to improve strength and flexibility
- Joints can be protected by learning to use them in ways that avoid excess stress. One way of doing this is to avoid using sore and weak joints. Unless larger joints are sore, for example, it is best to use them when carrying heavy items. The second method is walking with assistive devices like a cane. Lastly, weight control helps ease pain by reducing stress on your joints.
- You can learn ways to manage better how arthritis affects you emotionally by talking about your feelings with family members and friends, doing mental exercises, and by joining your local arthritis support group
Surgery
Most people will not need surgery, but in many cases surgery may be effective in minimising or eliminating pain when other treatment methods have failed.
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Osteotomy (restructuring of the bones to shift stresses from diseased to
more healthy tissue)
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Partial knee replacements (unicompartmental knee - replaces only diseased
portion of the joint)
- Total knee replacement (used when severe osteoarthritis is present)
New procedures may allow for: less postoperative pain, a faster recovery period, and a shorter hospital stay.
The UK Rheumatoid Arthritis Society and the NHS arthritis web sites contain many articles and patient education information that you may find helpful as well.
