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Arthritis Archive
Articles
Acetaminophen: Minimal relief for knee arthritis pain
The pain from an arthritic knee can be intense, limiting daily activities and independence. Men can try a range of medications, but overall acetaminophen (Tylenol, other brands) appears to relieve pain only slightly better than a placebo pill, according to a research review in Annals of Internal Medicine.
The researchers pooled results from 137 randomized clinical trials involving about 33,000 people with knee arthritis and compared the relative effectiveness of the following treatments:
Could that leg pain be peripheral artery disease?
The pain of peripheral artery disease may be felt above or below the knee during activity, and will fade with rest. Image: Thinkstock |
The telltale sign is leg pain and fatigue that comes on with activity and goes away with rest.
When are opioids safe to take?
Opioids are commonly used to control acute, intense pain. Meditation, yoga, and acupuncture may help control pain when tapering off opioids. |
Although these powerful pain relievers can be addictive, opioids are safe for most people when used properly.
Joint pain...is it osteoarthritis?
Your knee aches from time to time. Or maybe your fingers don't seem as nimble as they used to be. Could it be osteoarthritis?
Osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis, develops when cartilage, the flexible tissue lining the joints, deteriorates. As a result, the space between bones gradually narrows and the bone surfaces change shape. Over time, this leads to joint damage and pain.
A therapeutic approach to treating rheumatoid arthritis
For many people with rheumatoid arthritis, medication can help relieve symptoms and even limit joint damage. But nondrug approaches, such as physical and occupational therapy, are also essential to help reduce pain, improve range of motion, increase strength, and protect joints.
Specially trained clinicians can provide these nondrug treatments. Your primary care doctor or rheumatologist may refer you to a physiatrist, physical therapist, or occupational therapist, for example.
5 ways to manage arthritis and keep it from slowing you down
Arthritis is a painful problem that can interfere with your ability to do the things you enjoy. But you can take steps to manage arthritis by protecting your joints, reducing discomfort, and improving mobility.
Physical or occupational therapists can be very helpful in teaching you how to modify activities and accomplish daily tasks more easily in order to manage arthritis. But there are simple things you can do for yourself, starting today. Here are five of them:
Relief for hand arthritis
There's more to optimizing care than pain medication. See a hand therapist to obtain a personalized strategy.
Wear-and-tear osteoarthritis is very common in the knees and hips, but it strikes the hands, too. When the cushioning cartilage within the finger joints begins to break down, leading to pain and inflammation, all the usual remedies apply, such as appropriate use of medication.
Explain the pain – Is it osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis?
If opening jars becomes more difficult because of painful hands, or if climbing stairs produces pain in your knees, "arthritis" is often the first thing that comes to mind. The two most common forms of arthritis—osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis—can cause similar aches and pains, but there are a few key differences between them. For example:
Onset. Osteoarthritis occurs when cartilage (tissue in your joints that cushions your bones) wears away. Pain occurs when bone rubs against bone. This type of arthritis pain tends to develop gradually and intermittently over several months or years.
Does cracking knuckles cause arthritis?
The truth – and the myth – behind the cracking knuckles debate
Cracking your knuckles may aggravate the people around you, but it probably won't raise your risk for arthritis. That's the conclusion of several studies that compared rates of hand arthritis among habitual knuckle-crackers and people who didn't crack their knuckles.
The "pop" of a cracked knuckle is caused by bubbles bursting in the synovial fluid — the fluid that helps lubricate joints. The bubbles pop when you pull the bones apart, either by stretching the fingers or bending them backward, creating negative pressure. One study's authors compared the sudden, vibratory energy produced during knuckle cracking to "the forces responsible for the destruction of hydraulic blades and ship propellers."
Recent Blog Articles
Dupuytren's contracture of the hand
Why play? Early games build bonds and brain
Moving from couch to 5K
How — and why — to fit more fiber and fermented food into your meals
Tick season is expanding: Protect yourself against Lyme disease
What? Another medical form to fill out?
How do trees and green spaces enhance our health?
A muscle-building obsession in boys: What to know and do
Harvard Health Ad Watch: New drug, old song, clever tagline
Concussion in children: What to know and do
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