Arthritis treatment available online today

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis is very common and occurs due to the "wear and tear" of cartilage between joints over time. This causes friction, inflammation, and pain. Some people talk about "bone on bone" arthritis when the cartilage has been severely damaged. This can occur due to age, genetics, or previous injuries.

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Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a type of joint inflammation caused by an autoimmune disease. The underlying disease process causes your immune system to attack healthy joint tissue, leading to inflammation, swelling, pain, and often, joint deformities. Because RA is caused by an autoimmune process, treatments are targeted towards medications that modify the immune system.

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Gout

Gout involves joint inflammation due to uric acid buildup. This causes painful swelling, redness, and warmth in the joints. It can make walking difficult if the gout involves the big toe or the foot and ankle. Other common places to have gout flares are the elbows and knees. Gout can be treated and also prevented by taking certain medications and modifying your diet.

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Lupus

Lupus is an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation in different regions of the body, including the joints, internal organs, and skin. Lupus is usually managed with the help of a rheumatologist who specializes in autoimmune and inflammatory conditions.

Ankylosing spondylitis

Ankylosing spondylitis is a type of inflammatory arthritis that affects the spine. It can also cause gastrointestinal issues and is more common in people with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.

Psoriatic arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis is an inflammatory condition that causes a psoriasis rash but also widespread joint inflammation and pain. It is treated with medications that modify the immune system.

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia causes pain throughout the body, which then can also cause fatigue and sleep issues. Fibromyalgia is not a type of arthritis, but symptoms can feel similar.

Common arthritis symptoms include: 

• Joint pain, stiffness, and swelling

• Skin changes, like rashes or redness in the affected area 

• Joint warmth

• Limping, locking of the joint, or trouble moving normally

• Weakness

• Loss of range of motion in the joint

• Fever

• Swollen lymph nodes

• Weight loss

• Fatigue

Arthritis treatment focuses on pain reduction, preserving function and mobility, and preventing further damage to the joints. Pain treatment is specific to the individual, so it will take some time to figure out what management techniques work for you. Some people find that heating pads and ice packs do the trick, while others might use movement assistance devices like canes or walkers to help take pressure off sore joints.

Improving joint function is also crucial to managing your arthritis. Your doctor may prescribe a combination of treatment methods to achieve best results, which generally includes physical therapy, home remedies, cold-pack application, anti-inflammatory drugs, pain medications, biologic medications, immune-altering medications, and/or surgical operations. Some arthritic pain requires injections for treatment. Rheumatoid arthritis may require medications to suppress the immune system.

As with many conditions, the best treatment plan is a combination of medication, lifestyle changes, and therapy (mental or physical). 

While arthritis medication is an incredibly important part of your treatment, you can make other changes to relieve arthritis pain, such as: 

• Maintaining a healthy weight and getting regular physical activity 

• Eating a wide variety of foods and avoiding foods that cause inflammation such as dairy, sugar, caffeine, alcohol and certain meats 

• Physical therapy: Physical therapy aids with mobility and strengthening muscles around the affected joint. While it might be painful at first, when monitored by a licensed physical therapist, this therapy can be incredibly helpful with relieving symptoms and slowing the progression of inflammation. 

• Surgery: If a joint is causing pain that is not lessening with medication, it might be helpful to consider joint replacement. 

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)

This arthritis medication option will help with pain and inflammation, but also can cause blood thinning. Some NSAID options include:

Xanthine Oxidase Inhibitors

These medications are helpful for conditions such as gout, as they help reduce uric acid production. These include:

Antidepressants

Certain antidepressants can be effective for pain relief. Those used for arthritis include:

Immunosuppressants

For arthritis caused by autoimmune disorders, taking immunosuppressants may help decrease common symptoms of arthritis.

Corticosteroids

These medications can help with inflammatory arthritis symptoms. These medications include:

Age

Your risk for acquiring most types of arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, and gout, increases with age.

Previous joint injury

If you have experienced a joint injury in the past, you are far more likely to eventually develop arthritis in the joint.

Your gender

Women are more likely than men to develop rheumatoid arthritis. The majority of people who have gout, however, are men

Obesity

Obesity puts extra stress on weight bearing joints, particularly your spine, hips and knees. Obese people have a higher risk of developing arthritis. Maintaining a healthy weight can reduce joint pain.

For almost all types of arthritis, lifestyle factors like getting adequate sleep, stress management practices, regular physical exercise, and good nutrition can help with symptom management.

Rheumatoid arthritis

Osteoarthritis

Gout

Lupus

Ankylosing spondylitis 

Psoriatic arthritis

Fibromyalgia

Scleroderma