Arthritis rheumatoid

Dealing with knee arthritis pain:

Proper physical exercise

There are special programs including physical exercises which can help ease the pain in the knees. Limiting certain activities may be necessary but lack of movement may exacerbate the arthritis pain. Remember that pain is more severe after periods of inactivity. Aquatic exercises and swimming are ideal for arthritis patients and in particular for people suffering from knee arthritis as they put less strain on the joints.

Physical therapy

Physical therapy which includes strengthening the muscles around the knees and preventing their atrophy is also very important for dealing with arthritis pain and maintaining a stable condition. Good results are often achieved when physical therapy is combined with proper diet.

Walking aids

With severe knee arthritis cases sometimes it is necessary to use walking canes or different types of magnetic bands holding the knees. Also, a single crutch, placed in the hand opposite the affected knee will help to reduce the burden on the painful joint. Walking aids are often used by older people as a last resort.

Medications

The most common medications used to alleviate the knee arthritis pain are the so called NSAIDS – anti-inflammatory pain medications. Those are drugs with analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. However, they are just affecting the symptom – knee arthritis pain – and not the real cause of the disease which is still unidentified. Other, more ‘serious’ types of medications are cortisone injections alleviating the pain almost immediately. Physicians do not recommend continuous treatment with cortisone preparations because of their severe side effects. Joint supplements such as glucosamine are reported to affect knee arthritis pain positively and without side effects but there is still insufficient evidence of this as further research is necessary. Another, largely debated treatment for knee arthritis is arthroscopy. This is a minimally invasive surgical procedure rendered with the help of an arthroscope inserted into the joint through a small incision. It may be helpful for some specific symptoms. Knee surgery or partial knee surgery is also an alternative. Osteotomy (a surgical cutting or changing of the alignment of the bone) is reportedly effective for younger patients with limited arthritis, while total knee replacement surgery is a procedure where the cartilage is removed and replaced by metal and plastic implant is recommended for patients with advanced arthritis.

Treatment for rheumatoid arthritis

The hardest part of having and dealing with arthritis is alleviating the pain associated with this disease. This cannot be completely avoided but can be managed through proper lifestyle and application of certain medications.

The body reacts to pain in different ways for several reasons. There are certain physical factors such as the type of the patient’s nervous system and the severity of the rheumatoid arthritis condition. Emotional factors, which are equally important, include fears and anxieties about pain, previous experiences, energy level and the way surrounding people react to pain.

The first-aid drugs applied in periods of flare-ups are painkillers such as paracetamol and codeine which sometimes are prescribed in combination. Arthritis pain is also managed with the help of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Corticosteroids have the effect of immediately relieving the pain when injected in the joints but due to serious side effects such as weight gain, osteoporosis (thinning up of bones), thinning of skin, easy bruising and muscle weakness are applied when the condition is extremely serious. Over-the-counter topical preparations which are rubbed into the skin can be found in the local pharmacy.

Other exercises can be prescribed by physical therapists.

Daily living can be assisted through different devices such as canes and toilet seat raisers. Learning certain relaxation techniques can also appear to be an important weapon in the personal war against rheumatoid arthritis. Organizing group activities and discussing the condition within patient focus groups can help people feel better and improve the understanding of the troubles and embarrassment that can accompany the disease.

There are also some complementary therapies which, without providing scientific evidence towards pain alleviation, are aimed at reducing the stress of living with rheumatoid arthritis. Those include massages, acupuncture (application of fine needles at certain points of the skin), osteopathy (a type of body massage combining forceful with gentle techniques to reduce the pain and swelling of joints), electrotherapy (tiny electrical shocks stimulating the nervous system), hydrotherapy (special exercises in shallow swimming pools), certain nutritional supplements such as fish oil because of its anti-inflammatory beneficial effects.
There is no special diet for patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, although it is a common misunderstanding that night-shade foods such as tomatoes can aggravate the condition. There is no scientific evidence that certain foods affect rheumatoid arthritis better or worse than others.