Is Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatable?

Posted On: December 11, 2021

In people with rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disorder, along with the joints, other parts like eyes, blood vessels, heart, or lungs can get affected. In this condition, your immune system attacks your body tissues. The joint’s linings get affected, and eventually, the patient can suffer from physical disability due to bone erosion and deformity of the joints. Presently, no cure for this disorder exists, but the severity of the symptoms can be lessened with treatment. If you suffer from severe joint pain, visit a reputed Knee Specialist in Ahmedabad to determine if you have rheumatoid arthritis. Early Symptoms Related to Rheumatoid Arthritis

• Stiffness in the joints
• Swelling in the joints
• Low-grade fever
• Numbness or tingling in hands
• Reduced range of motion
• Loss of appetite
• Fatigue

If you are troubled by such symptoms, visit the best orthopedic doctor in Ahmedabad, and get a proper assessment of your condition.

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Treatment Options

Go to the best knee replacement surgeon in Ahmedabad if the discomfort and pain in your joints are persistent. Even though a permanent cure has not yet been discovered, early treatment can help control the severity of the symptoms, slow down the damage to joints, and reduce disability. The treatment will be based on how bad your condition is and how long you have had it.

Pain-relieving Medicines

Your physician may suggest taking painkillers like paracetamol for relief from the pain linked with rheumatoid arthritis. He may also prescribe NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs) like ibuprofen that relieves pain and lessens joint inflammation. When you take NSAIDs, you may suffer from side effects like stomach irritation or heart problems.

Steroids

Sometimes your doctor may prescribe corticosteroids to help you get relief quickly from pain. Such medicines decrease your pain and inflammation and slow down the progress of joint damage. But, steroids can have side effects, such as weight gain or thinning of bones.

DMARDs (Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs)

As part of your initial treatment, you may be prescribed DMARD tablets like hydroxychloroquine that will relieve the symptoms and slow the progression of the disease. These tablets prevent severe damage to your tendons, cartilage, bones, and ligaments.

Biological Treatment

They are a new class of DMARDs taken along with traditional DMARDs and are prescribed only when traditional DMARDs are ineffective when administered alone. They are mostly given in the form of injections.

Physical Therapy

In addition to the above medicines, your doctor may advise you to undergo physical therapy to keep your joints mobile and maintain your range of movements. Such a therapist will teach you new ways to do your daily tasks without causing stress on your joints. Consult experienced orthopedic doctors in Ahmedabad to know more about the best possible treatment options for rheumatoid arthritis.

Surgery

If everything else fails, your physician may recommend surgery to reduce pain, restore your range of motion, and improve your physical functions. These are some of the common surgical procedures:

• A total joint replacement, in which the surgeon replaces your diseased joint parts with prosthetic parts made of metal or plastic.
• Synovectomy is done to remove the lining of the joint that is inflamed. The procedure relieves pain and gives you better flexibility.
• In some cases, the surgeon employs joint fusion to realign a joint for relieving pain.
• When there are cases where the tendons surrounding your joint rupture or loosen, your surgeon may try to repair them.

Rheumatoid arthritis can be very painful, but with early treatment, lifestyle changes, physical therapy, and surgery, you can limit the damage to the joints and carry on your normal activities. Seek an appointment with Shalby, the best orthopedic hospital in India, to determine the best treatment options for your rheumatoid arthritis. Their experienced specialists will use advanced diagnostic tools to find out the extent of damage to your joints. After consulting with you, they will provide a treatment plan to decrease your symptoms’ severity and enable you to live a normal, active life.