If you have joint pain that comes and goes, especially if you also have redness and warm skin over your joint, consider getting a diagnosis from your doctor if you haven't already. You might have rheumatoid arthritis.
This is an inflammatory arthritis unlike osteoarthritis that develops due to joint wear and tear. The joint inflammation that goes along with rheumatoid arthritis can also cause joint damage, so treating your condition is important to slow the progression of damage. Here are some ways your doctor might treat joint inflammation and pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis.
Medications
When you're having a flareup and you're in a lot of pain, the doctor might inject a corticosteroid in your joint to reduce the joint inflammation and lessen the pain. Your doctor might also prescribe other medications you can take to help stabilize your condition and prevent flareups.
Medications to treat rheumatoid arthritis include anti-inflammatory drugs, biologic agents, and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. By taking medications, you might be able to manage joint inflammation and slow down the progression of your condition.
Physical Therapy
Your doctor might want you to take physical therapy treatments to strengthen and stretch the muscles around your affected joint or joints. If the joints in your hands are inflamed, the therapist can teach you hand movements that strengthen your grip and keep your hands as functional as possible.
Surgery
There are different types of surgery your doctor might try depending on which joints are affected. If your joint has deteriorated because of your arthritis, your doctor might give you a joint replacement or do a joint fusion.
A joint fusion and replacement both remove your diseased joint so you can obtain pain relief. A different type of surgery involves removing the painful and stiff membrane lining around your joint to reduce your pain.
Diet
While there isn't a specific diet for rheumatoid arthritis, your doctor might recommend following an anti-inflammatory diet that might help your condition. Plus, eating a healthy diet can help you lose weight if you need to so there is less pressure on your joints. Your doctor may also want you to stop smoking and drinking alcohol.
The goal in treating rheumatoid arthritis is to get the joint inflammation under control and keep it from flaring back up, so lifestyle changes might be recommended to reduce the inflammation in your body. Your doctor might recommend certain supplements too, but always ask your doctor before trying supplements on your own so they don't interfere with the medications you're taking.
Joint inflammation and pain are frustrating when they interfere with your daily life. Fortunately, your doctor has options to try so you can find a solution that helps you manage your condition and have an improved quality of life.
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