Winter season can be distressing for people with arthritis. Adding the right nutrients can help alleviate pain and stiffness during the colder months
Winters can be distressing for people with arthritis as they experience exacerbation in their symptoms and find it difficult to move around and do their daily activities with ease. Arthritis pain and swelling can shoot up in winter months due to changes in barometric pressure that may affect the joint health. Our body tissues expand and contract as the pressure fluctuates putting pressure on the nerves and this can result in joint pain. If you or any of your loved one is suffering from arthritis, you would know that pain, stiffness, swelling and fatigue are some of the common symptoms and can impact quality of their life if they aren't managed well.
While arthritis pain or discomfort cannot be completely avoided in winter season, adding more nutrients to your diet and some activity to your routine can help. Studies say that people with inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis must consume Omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish like sardines and salmon. Mediterranean diet with lots of green leafy vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds can also ease your arthritis distress.
"As winter's chill settles in, individuals grappling with arthritis find themselves facing heightened discomfort. A holistic approach can be followed to alleviate arthritis pain during the colder months through strategic dietary choices. Arthritis, characterized by joint inflammation, often intensifies in winter due to the drop in temperature," says Dr. Akhilesh Yadav, Associate Director of Orthopaedics & Joint Replacement at Max Super Speciality Hospital Vaishali.
Dr. Yadav advocates incorporating anti-inflammatory foods into one's diet to mitigate the impact of arthritis. Chief among these are fatty fish like salmon and mackerel, rich in omega-3 fatty acids known for their potent anti-inflammatory properties. Consuming these fish can help manage arthritis symptoms and promote joint health.
While arthritis pain or discomfort cannot be completely avoided in winter season, adding more nutrients to your diet and some activity to your routine can help. (Freepik)
NUTRITION TIPS TO MANAGE ARTHRITIS DURING WINTER
Here are other nutrition tips suggested by Dr Yadav are:
1. Green vegetables
Vegetables such as leafy greens, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts are also recommended for arthritis patients. Packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, they contribute to reducing inflammation and strengthening the immune system. Incorporating these nutrient-dense veggies into daily meals can be a flavourful and effective way to combat arthritis-related discomfort.
2. Nuts and seeds
Nuts and seeds, particularly walnuts and flaxseeds, must be preferred by people with arthritis for their omega-3 content. These elements play a crucial role in suppressing inflammation and supporting overall joint function. Adding a handful of these nutritious bites to snacks or meals can be a simple yet impactful step toward managing arthritis pain.
3. Foods that promote weight loss
In addition to specific food choices, it is important to maintain a healthy weight to alleviate strain on joints. It is advised to avoid excessive consumption of processed foods, sugary snacks, and red meat, as they can contribute to inflammation and weight gain, exacerbating arthritis symptoms.
4. Vitamin D-rich foods
Ensuring an adequate intake of vitamin D is also crucial, especially during the winter months when sunlight exposure is limited. Incorporating vitamin D-rich foods like fortified dairy products, eggs, and mushrooms into the diet can benefit people with joint trouble. Alternatively, consulting a healthcare professional for vitamin D supplements can be beneficial.
5. Hydration
This is another key factor in managing arthritis, as water helps maintain joint lubrication and supports overall bodily functions. People must stay well-hydrated, opting for water and herbal teas over sugary or caffeinated beverages.
By incorporating these recommended foods and making lifestyle adjustments, individuals can take proactive steps toward enhancing joint health and minimizing the impact of arthritis during the colder months, says Dr Yadav.
Having strong thigh muscles may reduce the need for total knee replacement in people with knee osteoarthritis.
In particular, having stronger quadriceps muscles compared to the hamstrings muscles may be beneficial.
The quadriceps can be strengthened with specific exercises such as squats and lunges, or with activities like yoga and Tai Chi.
For people with knee osteoarthritis, having stronger quadriceps muscles, in relation to the hamstrings, could reduce the need for total knee replacement, preliminary research suggests.
The findings could lead to improvements in strength-training programs for people with this degenerative joint disease, and may even benefit others, researchers say.
“While these results are essential for targeted therapy in a population at risk for osteoarthritis, even the general public can benefit from our results to preventively incorporate appropriate strengthening exercises,” study author Dr. Upasana Upadhyay Bharadwaj, from the University of California, San Francisco, said in a news release.
The study was presented Nov. 27 at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). It has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Exercise stabilises the knees
An estimated 14 million AmericansTrusted Source — including more than 3 million racial/ethnic minorities — have knee osteoarthritis severe enough that it causes symptoms such as pain, stiffness and swelling, according to a large national U.S. health survey.
While older age is a risk factor for this condition, the survey found that more half of people with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis were under 65 years old.
Treatment for knee osteoarthritis generally begins with conservative methodsTrusted Source such as physical therapy, weight loss, knee bracing or anti-inflammatory medicines.
If these fail to improve symptoms, a person may need surgery. One type is a total knee replacement, also known as total knee arthroplasty.
Exercise programs, when implemented early after a diagnosis with knee osteoarthritis — and maybe even before then — can improve pain symptoms and functioning in people with this condition.
While many types of aerobic and strength-training exercises can be beneficial, earlier research has found that exercises that focus on strengthening the quadricepsTrusted Source may be especially helpful at reducing pain symptoms.
The quadriceps are a group of four muscles located on the front of the thigh. They are one of the strongest muscle group in the body, and help you stand, walk and run. When you extend (straighten) the leg at the knee, or flex your thigh at the hip (such as when you step up), that’s the quadriceps working.
Around the back of the thigh are the hamstrings, which are involved in movements such as walking, running and jumping. These three muscles are responsible for flexing (bending) the leg at the knee, and extending the thigh at the hip.
These two muscle groups act as counter forces and protect the knee joint during a wide range of activities, said Upadhyay Bharadwaj in the release. However, “an imbalance, in addition to other factors, leads to a change in the biomechanics resulting in the progression of osteoarthritis,” she said.
Strong quads reduce need for surgery
In the new study, Upadhyay Bharadwaj and her colleagues evaluated thigh muscle volume in 134 participants with knee osteoarthritis who were participating in a U.S. study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health.
Half of participants had undergone a total knee replacement, while the other half (known as the control group) had not. The knee replacement group and controls were matched for factors such as age and gender.
Researchers examined MRI images of participants’ thigh muscles taken at the time of surgery, and two years and four years before the surgery. They used a deep learning computer model to calculate the volumes of the thigh muscles.
People with a higher ratio of quadriceps volume to hamstrings volume were less likely to have had a total knee replacement.
In addition, people with higher volumes of hamstrings and gracilis, a long muscle on the inside of the thigh, were also less likely to have had a total knee replacement.
“Our study shows that in addition to strong muscles individually, larger extensor muscle groups [such as the quadriceps] — relative to hamstring muscle groups — are significantly associated with lower odds of total knee replacement surgery in two to four years,” Upadhyay Bharadwaj said in the release.
While the overall muscle volume in the thigh is important, she said the balance between the extensor and hamstring muscles may be more important for reducing the risk of total knee replacement.
How strong quads help knee stability
Dr.Sean Rockett, an orthopaedic surgeon with Orthopaedics New England in Boston, said the results of the new study make sense, because the quadriceps play an essential role in taking pressure off the knee joint.
In people with knee osteoarthritis, “stronger quadriceps would help the patella [kneecap] function better, and potentially produce less pain, thus decreasing the need for total knee replacement,” he said.
Dr. Meredith Warner, an orthopaedic surgeon with a private practice in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, agrees that a higher quadriceps volume, compared to the hamstrings volume, is important.
“If you are weak in the [quadriceps], you lack the natural shock absorption [provided by] that muscle group,” she said. In addition, part of the quadriceps crosses both the hip and knee joints, which Warner said is important for distributing stresses in the upper leg.
The quadriceps is also closely relatedTrusted Source to the iliotibial (IT) band, which runs along the outside of the thigh and stabilizes the hip and knee during walking and running.
“If one has a reduced ratio of [quadriceps] size to hamstrings, the implication is that they are sitting most of the day and quite inactive,” said Warner. “This group of people — sedentary — is well-known to be at higher risk of total knee replacement compared to an active population.”
Exercise for knee osteoarthritis
Kim Bennell, PhD, a research physiotherapist and professor of physiotherapy at the University of Melbourne in Australia, cautions that the new study only looked at the relationship between muscle volume and need for total knee replacement.
“[The study] does not directly evaluate whether prescribing strengthening exercises designed to improve the quadriceps/hamstrings strength ratio leads to a reduced need for joint replacement,” she said.
But the results add to the evidence that strengthening the quadriceps may reduce symptoms of knee osteoarthritis and reduce the need for total knee replacement surgery, she said.
Many types of exercise can strengthen the quadriceps, including squats, lunges and step-ups. Even certain types of yoga may be beneficial for this muscle group.
In a study published last year in the Annals of Internal Medicine, Bennell and her colleagues found that an unsupervised online yoga program reduced pain symptoms and improved functioning in people with knee osteoarthritis.
They didn’t look specifically at muscle strength or whether people needed total knee replacement later on.
”However, research has shown that resistance exercise programs, as well as other forms of exercise such as Tai Chi and yoga, can improve quadriceps strength,” said Bennell, “and so are recommended for people with knee osteoarthritis.”
Takeaway
In a preliminary study, researchers found that stronger thigh muscles reduced the need for total knee replacement in people with knee osteoarthritis. This degenerative joint condition affects millions of Americans, including those under age 65.
In particular, a higher volume of quadriceps muscles versus hamstrings was associated with a lower risk of surgery. A higher volume of hamstrings and gracilis were also linked to a reduced need for surgery.
The quadriceps can be strengthened with specific exercises, such as squats, lunges and step-ups. Activities such as yoga and Tai Chi can also strengthen this muscle group and reduce symptoms of knee osteoarthritis.
Pain in the neck as become an increasingly common problem across globe, well gadgets are just on part to take the blame. Did you know there are different types of neck pain too? Here is how to get relief
Using devices gadgets, and smartphones is not merely a luxury anymore, it has become an inevitable part of our lives now. In this digital age, our lives are increasingly intertwined with smartphones and other handheld devices. Neck pain, a widespread musculoskeletal disorder affecting approximately one in three individuals annually, demands a nuanced understanding of its causes, types, and effective treatments. Speaking exclusively with india.com, Dr. Vivek Loomba, a renowned Pain Management Physician at The Indian Spinal Injuries Centre in Vasant Kunj, New Delhi, elaborated on the types of neck pain and how we must take required steps to to reduce the pain.
Causes of Neck Pain
Physical Strain: The most common cause of neck pain arises from overusing neck muscles, often linked to activities such as intense workouts, weightlifting, and prolonged driving. These strains can lead to ligament or muscle sprains and, in some cases, disk herniation.
Poor Posture: Prolonged periods of poor posture, especially during smartphone and laptop use, contribute significantly to neck pain. Dr. Loomba notes a concerning rise in school-going children experiencing symptoms of the “text neck syndrome,” a condition exacerbated by the challenges posed by the pandemic.
Whiplash Injury: Sudden, jerky neck movements, often occurring in vehicular accidents, can result in whiplash injuries, a common cause of neck pain.
Arthritis: Arthritis of the vertebral joints in the neck is another contributor to neck pain, with factors such as aging and rheumatoid arthritis playing a role.
Miscellaneous Factors: Neck pain can also be associated with diverse factors like anxiety, depression, infection, or even tumours.
Types of Neck Pain
Occipital Neuralgia: This type of headache manifests as pain in the upper neck, back of the head, and behind the ears, often caused by inflammation or injury to the occipital nerves.
Cervical Radiculopathy: Also known as a pinched nerve, cervical radiculopathy results from disk herniation in the neck, causing excruciating pain in the neck, shoulder, arm, and fingers.
Facet Arthropathy: Arthritis of the small vertebral joints in the neck, leading to neck pain, is termed facet arthropathy and can be associated with aging or conditions like rheumatoid arthritis.
Myofascial Pain Syndrome: A chronic pain condition affecting neck muscles and fascia, myofascial pain syndrome is often triggered by repetitive motions, stress-related tension, injuries, poor posture, or muscle group inactivity.
Cervical Spondylosis: Age-related wear and tear in the cervical spine result in discomfort and stiffness, a condition referred to as cervical spondylosis.
Whiplash Neck Sprain: Caused by rapid trauma to the neck, typically in accidents or car crashes.
Management of Neck Pain
While many cases of neck pain resolve with time and lifestyle adjustments, severe or persistent cases demand a comprehensive management approach. Another crucial component of treatment, physical therapy focuses on stretching and strengthening neck muscles and tendons. Applying heat to the affected area can alleviate symptoms.
In conclusion, neck pain necessitates timely intervention, especially if symptoms persist or interfere with daily activities. Whether through lifestyle adjustments, medications, or specialized procedures, managing neck pain requires a nuanced understanding and a collaborative effort between patients and healthcare providers.
Treatment goals for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are to reduce pain and inflammation and prevent disability. An RA treatment plan usually includes medications and nondrug therapies. Surgery is considered when joints are damaged or no longer work.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that causes inflammation of the synovial linings of joints. RA inflammation can be so severe that it damages joints and other body tissues. There is no cure for RA.
Non-drug options include physical therapy, style therapies, and home remedies. Surgery is considered when other therapies have not helped or joints are damaged and no longer function correctly.
This article will cover nondrug and medical treatments for RA, treatment in early RA and as RA progresses, managing flares, and more.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Non-drug Treatments
Treating RA with medications is crucial, but some nondrug remedies might help to relieve pain and stiffness from RA.
Illustration by Julie Bang for Verywell Health
Physical Therapy
According to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), physical therapy is vital to managing RA. Research from the ACR shows people with RA who engage in physical therapy see improvement in pain levels and physical function.
Physical therapy combines exercise, hands-on care, and patient education. A physical therapist can examine you and develop a treatment plan that improves movement, restores function, prevents disability, and manages pain.
Joint Protection
For people with RA, occupational therapy services can include managing daily activities, joint protection, activity pacing, fatigue management, work simplification, splints, orthotics (custom-made shoe inserts), use of assistive devices, stress management, and more.
Assistive devices can help take the stress off inflamed joints and protect them from injury. For example, if you have an inflamed knee or hip joint, consider using a cane on the opposite side to reduce weight on the joint and improve stability.
You might also consider pens, toothbrushes, and cooking utensils that are easier to hold for people with joint pain. If raising your arms is painful, consider using a reach tool to reach items on high shelves.
Exercise
Exercise is an integral part of your RA treatment plan and is most effective when done every day. Physical activity includes aerobic, aquatic, and resistance exercise:
Aerobic exercise improves cardiorespiratory fitness and muscular endurance. Examples include cycling, running, hiking, walking, and aerobic workouts.
Resistance exercises increase muscle strength and include free weights, resistance bands, and Pilates.
Aquatic exercises provide both aerobic and resistance benefits. They include activities like swimming, water walking, and water aerobics.
Rest
RA is a disease that goes through periods of flare-ups in which symptoms become worse and periods of remission in which symptoms improve. Getting plenty of rest when your RA flares up can help reduce joint inflammation and pain, as well as improve fatigue.
Hot and Cold Therapies
Ice packs and heating pads relieve local pain, swelling, and stiffness. Cold therapy can bring down inflammation to reduce pain and other RA symptoms. Heat therapy increases blood flow to ease joint stiffness and cramping in the muscles around the joints. You can alternate between cold and hot therapy options as needed.
A healthy diet helps to protect overall well-being, improves energy, manages weight, keeps the immune system strong, and boosts mental health. While diet alone can't treat RA, eating a healthy and balanced diet can go a long way in helping you to feel better.
The ACR recommends adherence to a Mediterranean-style diet over no formally defined diet.1 This diet promotes eating vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and olive oil, with moderate amounts of low-fat dairy and fish. Many of these foods can help to keep inflammation down.
The Mediterranean diet also limits sugars, sodium, processed foods, refined carbs, and saturated fats—all believed to increase inflammation.
Stress Management
Stress can make RA symptoms worse, although researchers are not entirely sure about the link between RA and stress. It is believed that the body's stress response might contribute to inflammation. Stress response can increase pain, affect your sleep and mood, and create a vicious pain, sleep, and mood cycle.
Consider all how you can manage stress as you work to keep your RA in check. Your stress management plan might include meditation, exercise, talking to a friend or a mental health professional, and finding ways to exercise self-care (i.e., getting plenty of rest, pacing yourself, taking breaks, etc.).
Do Not Smoke
Some people with RA smoke, sometimes as a way to manage stress. However, studies have shown that smoking can worsen RA and reduce the effects of medications used to treat the condition.
Chang K, Yang SM, Kim SH, Han KH, Park SJ, Shin JI. Smoking and rheumatoid arthritis. Int J Mol Sci. 2014;15(12):22279-22295. doi:10.3390/ijms151222279
RA is also a risk factor for heart disease, and smoking can further increase your risk.
If you are having a hard time quitting, let your healthcare provider know. They can give you information about programs and products to help you quit.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)
CAM therapies are non-traditional therapies typically used in addition to your RA treatments. CAM therapies can offer pain relief and symptom improvement.
If you want to try any of these CAM therapies to manage RA symptoms and pain, ask your healthcare provider which might help you and if these therapies are safe for you to try. Some herbs and supplements can interact with medications you are taking.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Medication List
The target-to-treat approach for RA is backed by good evidence. With this approach, healthcare providers decide on a goal and adjust medications and other treatments until the goal is achieved. This approach aims to achieve remission or low disease activity in which symptoms are managed and quality of life is maintained.
Medication options are numerous for treating RA. They include over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription pain relievers, corticosteroids, non-biologic DMARDs, biologic DMARDs, and JAK inhibitors. Your healthcare provider can recommend the best options for managing RA.
OTC Pain Relief
Most healthcare providers recommend NSAIDs for reducing RA pain and inflammation. These are sold over the counter (without a prescription) under different brand names, including Advil and Motrin (ibuprofen) and Aleve (naproxen). Tylenol (acetaminophen) can help with mild joint pain but does not reduce inflammation.
You can also use OTC topical pain relievers to manage RA pain. These are applied over painful joint areas and will have fewer side effects than oral pain relievers. These fall into a few general categories—salicylates, NSAIDs, lidocaine, menthol/camphor, capsaicin, and newer cannabidiol (CBD) options.
Always follow the manufacturer's instructions for safe and effective use. Inform your healthcare provider if you experience side effects, including skin irritation.
Prescription Pain Relief
Your healthcare provider can prescribe more potent versions of oral OTC pain relievers. They can also prescribe others unavailable over the counter, such as Celebrex (celecoxib) and Mobic (meloxicam), and prescription-strength topical pain relievers, including Pennsaid (2% diclofenac) and lidocaine patches. A less-potent version of diclofenac, sold under brand names such as Voltaren, is available without a prescription.
Corticosteroids
Corticosteroids like betamethasone, cortisone, methylprednisolone, and prednisone can help reduce inflammation in RA. They are available as oral medicines and injections. These drugs might also reduce pain and damage from inflammation.
These medicines are typically not recommended for long-term use. They are known for causing severe side effects, including stomach ulcers, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, mood changes, eye problems, and osteoporosis.
Non-Biologic DMARDs
DMARDs can decrease inflammation by slowing down the progression of RA. When the disease processes are slowed down, you will experience fewer symptoms and less damage over time.
Some of the most common non-biologic DMARDs used to treat RA are:
Biologics, another type of DMARDs, target specific molecules that lead to inflammation. These drugs work much quicker than non-biologic ones and might have fewer side effects.
Biologics are given as injections and infusion treatments. Biologic DMARD classes include tumour necrosis factor (TNF), B-cell, T-cell, and interleukin-6 (IL-6) inhibitors.
Some of the most common biologic DMARDs used to treat RA are:
B-cell inhibitor: Rituxan (rituximab)
IL-6 inhibitors: Actemra (tocilizumab) and Kevzara (sarilumab)
Your healthcare provider may prescribe a JAK inhibitor when non-biologic and biologic DMARDs aren't helping to manage RA symptoms. These medicines can affect genes and the activity of immune cells to prevent inflammation and stop joint and tissue damage.
Currently, three JAK inhibitors are available to treat RA. These include:
Olumiant (baricitinib)
Rinvoq (upadacitinib)
Xeljanz, Xeljanz XR (tofacitinib)
Managing RA While Pregnant
It is possible to continue treating RA during pregnancy. About 50% of pregnant people with RA will experience remission during pregnancy. Only 20% will experience worsening disease activity during pregnancy and will need medication adjustments. The remaining number of pregnant people with RA will have unchanged disease.
Some RA medications should not be taken before pregnancy, during pregnancy, and if breastfeeding.
These include:
Acetaminophen
Corticosteroids
NSAIDs
JAK inhibitors
Leflunomide
Methotrexate
Some medications might be safer for you to take before pregnancy, during, and after, and may include:
Some biologics, including some TNF inhibitors.
Hydroxychloroquine
Sulfasalazine
Your healthcare provider will monitor your RA progression during pregnancy. As symptoms and function improve, your provider will adjust medicines or recommend nondrug options for managing disease symptoms.
RA Treatment Effectiveness
Guidelines for treating RA come from the ACR and get updated every few years. Updates usually occur as new treatments are released, older drugs are reassessed, and new evidence emerges regarding nondrug treatments.
Many medications used to treat RA are potent and can produce side effects, but are used because the evidence suggests that the benefits outweigh the risks.
Each person's treatment approaches for RA are tailored based on disease severity. Disease severity is typically classified from mild to moderate, severe, and end-stage.
Early to Moderate RA
In stage 1, or early RA, you will experience the earliest symptoms of RA, including morning stiffness and pain in the small joints of the hands and feet. Symptoms during this stage are subtle, which may make it harder for a healthcare provider to make a diagnosis.
If you are diagnosed early on and start treating the condition, there is a better chance of disease remission. Treatment options in early RA include NSAIDs, methotrexate, other non-biologic DMARDs, and low-dose steroids.
In stage 2, or moderate RA, inflammation of the joint linings may cause damage, and you will experience pain and limited motion in affected joints. Inflammation may affect other body tissues, especially the skin and eyes.
Most people get a diagnosis during stage 2, and treatment can reduce further damage and get symptoms under control. Your healthcare provider may add a biologic drug or JAK inhibitor to your treatment plan at this stage.
Severe RA
By the time RA progresses to stage 3, it is considered severe. There might be more pain and swelling. Some people may also have muscle weakness, mobility loss, and bone and joint damage. If biologics and JAK inhibitors fail to manage symptoms, your healthcare provider will recommend another biologic or a different class biologic.
Stage 4, or end-stage RA means that affected joints no longer work, and symptoms include severe pain, swelling, stiffness, and loss of function. Progression to the stage can take years or decades, and most people who treat RA effectively never make it to stage 4.
Surgery is a last-resort treatment for RA that has damaged joints and limited mobility. Common RA surgeries are joint replacement surgery, joint fusion, and tendon surgery.
Does RA Progression Affect Life Expectancy?
RA is generally not a fatal condition, but disease progression and complications of the condition might affect life expectancy. Mortality risk in people with RA can increase over time and seems to peak 20 years after diagnosis. Respiratory conditions and cardiovascular diseases are significant risk factors for premature death.
Fortunately, newer, more aggressive RA treatments have reduced such complications and increased the potential for disease remission, which means people with RA are living longer.
Integrated Approaches to RA Treatment
Treatments and outcomes for RA have significantly advanced over the past couple of decades. In addition, earlier diagnoses, better treatment approaches like target-to-treat, and improvements in DMARDs have allowed people with RA to live with less pain, fatigue, and disability.
RA medications work best with integrative therapies (psychotherapy approaches), including mind and body therapies, talk therapy, and cognitive behavioural therapy. Some CAM and nondrug therapies, including acupuncture, exercise, and diet, are also considered integrated therapies.
If you want to try integrated therapies to manage RA better, talk to your healthcare provider. They can make recommendations based on your unique health situation.
How to Manage RA During Flares
People with RA have periods in which the disease flares up, and inflammation levels and disease activity are high. The most common symptoms of a flare-up are severe joint pain, swelling, stiffness, and fatigue. A flare-up can last for a few days, or it can last for weeks or months.
Specific events can trigger RA flares. Triggers include diet, stress, illness or infection, weather changes, overdoing activities, missing medicine doses, and smoking. You can reduce flare frequency by avoiding triggers.
Resting is OK if you feel you need extra sleep during a flare. But you will still want to try to move your joints. Consider activities that are easy on the joints, such as stretching and walking.
Keep stress levels down while recovering. Try massage, warm baths, and OTC oral and topical pain relievers to manage pain and reduce inflammation. Try to make healthy food choices by avoiding inflammation-producing foods and adding anti-inflammatory options to your diet.
Contact your healthcare provider if your flare-up lasts longer than a few days or worsens. They can prescribe a corticosteroid or other treatments to quickly reduce inflammation and manage symptoms, including pain.
RA Treatment Advancements
RA is a chronic condition without a cure. Fortunately, you have plenty of options for treating it, and therapies for treating RA continue to increase. As researchers develop and improve treatments, your healthcare provider might change your treatment plan to manage your disease better.
Some of the newest treatment options available and in testing include:
Biosimilars: These drugs are very close in structure and function to biological drugs. Biosimilars offer a more affordable option for some people with RA.
IL-inhibitors: These agents inhibit the action of interleukins, which are proteins that promote inflammation.
Targeted synthetic DMARDs, including JAK inhibitors, target specific parts of the immune system to halt inflammation and inflammatory processes.
Talk to your healthcare provider to learn more about the latest available treatment options. They can share all the potential benefits and risks of changes to your treatment plan. They can also recommend lifestyle changes and the best ways to improve your outcomes.
Summary
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease without a cure. Fortunately, the condition is treatable and manageable. Treating RA aims to achieve the lowest possible disease activity or remission, minimize joint damage, and improve function and quality of life.
Treating RA involves an integrated approach that includes nondrug and drug options. Non-drug options for RA include physical and occupational therapies, lifestyle changes, and CAM therapies.
Drug treatment options include OTC and prescription pain relievers, non-biologic DMARDs, biologic DMARDs, corticosteroids, and JAK inhibitors. Surgery is considered a last resort treatment for managing severe RA in which joint damage and loss of function have occurred.
You will need to take medications to treat RA for the rest of your life. You must also manage disease flare-us to avoid joint damage and worsening symptoms. Manage flares with rest, some activity, diet, and corticosteroids.
Your healthcare provider can recommend treatment options based on your disease status and overall health. They can advise you on each treatment option's potential benefits and risks. They can also recommend lifestyle changes to help improve treatment outcomes.
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