bone, joint, and muscle disorders
Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis
Medications Lifestyle measures, such as rest, diet, exercise, and stopping smoking Physical therapy and occupational therapy Sometimes surgery Treatments include simple, conservative measures in addition to medications and surgical treatments. Simple measures are meant to help the person’s symptoms and include rest, adequate nutrition, and physical treatments. People should take measures that decrease their risk of heart disease, such as stopping smoking and getting treated, if necessary, for high blood pressure and high blood lipids or cholesterol. Because Disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) (DMARDs) may actually slow progression of the disease as well as relieve symptoms, they are often started soon after the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis is made. For other medications used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, see Complete bed rest is rarely necessary, even for a short time. However, quality sleep is important, because poor sleep increases pain. Severely inflamed joints should be rested because using them can aggravate the inflammation. Regular rest periods often help relieve pain, and sometimes a short period of bed rest helps relieve a severe flare-up in its most active, painful stage. Splints can be used to immobilize and rest one or several joints, but some systematic movement of the joints is needed to prevent nearby muscles from weakening and joints from freezing in place. A regular, healthy diet is generally appropriate. A diet rich in fish (omega-3 fatty acids) and plant oils but low in red meat can partially relieve symptoms in some people. Some people may have flare-ups after eating certain foods, and if so, these foods should be avoided, but such flare-ups occur rarely. No specific foods have been proved to cause flare-ups. Many diets have been proposed but have not proved helpful. Fad diets should be avoided. Along with medications to reduce joint inflammation, a treatment plan for rheumatoid arthritis should include nondrug therapies, such as exercise, Physical Therapy (PT) (which includes Inflamed joints should be gently stretched so they do not freeze in one position. Heat therapy can be helpful because heat improves muscle function by reducing stiffness and muscle spasm. As the inflammation subsides, regular, active exercises can help, although a person should not exercise to the point of excessive fatigue. For many people, exercise in warm water may be easier. Treatment of tight joints consists of intensive exercises and occasionally the use of splints to gradually extend the joint. Cold therapy (cryotherapy) may be applied to reduce pain caused by temporary worsening in one joint. People who are disabled by rheumatoid arthritis can use several aids to accomplish daily tasks. For example, specially modified orthopedic or athletic shoes can make walking less painful, and self-help devices such as grippers reduce the need to squeeze the hand forcefully. If medications have not helped, surgical treatment may be needed. Surgical repair must always be considered in terms of the total disease. For example, deformed hands and arms limit a person’s ability to use crutches during rehabilitation, and seriously affected knees and feet limit the benefits of hip surgery. Reasonable objectives for each person must be determined, and ability to function must be considered. Surgical repair may be performed while the disease is active. Surgically replacing knee or hip joints is the most effective way to restore mobility and function when the joint disease is advanced. Joints can also be removed or fused together, especially in the foot, to make walking less painful. The thumb can be fused to enable a person to pinch, and unstable vertebrae at the top of the neck can be fused to prevent them from compressing the spinal cord. Joint repair with prosthetic joint replacement is indicated if damage severely limits function. Total hip replacements and knee replacements are most consistently successful. Sometimes the whole hip joint must be replaced. The whole hip joint is the top (head) of the thighbone (femur) and the surface of the socket into which the head of the thighbone fits. This procedure is called total hip replacement or total hip arthroplasty. The head of the thighbone is replaced with a ball-shaped part (prosthesis), made of metal. The prosthesis has a strong stem that fits within the center of the thighbone. The socket is replaced with a metal shell lined with durable plastic. A knee joint damaged by osteoarthritis may be replaced with an artificial joint. After a general anesthetic is given, the surgeon makes an incision over the damaged knee. The knee cap (patella) may be removed, and the ends of the thigh bone (femur) and shinbone (tibia) are smoothed so that the parts of the artificial joint (prosthesis) can be attached more easily. One part of the artificial joint is inserted into the thigh bone, the other part is inserted into the shinbone, and then the parts are cemented in place. 