Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that most commonly affects the joints of the hands, feet, wrists, elbows, knees and ankles. It has no cure but several treatments can help alleviate its painful symptoms.
Medications
Medications that relieve pain, reduce inflammation include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and corticosteroids. Others like disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and biologics stop the immune system from triggering inflammation that causes joint and tissue damage.
Therapy
A physical or occupational therapist can teach you exercises to help keep your joints flexible. The therapist may also suggest new ways to do daily tasks, which will be easier on your joints. For example, how to pick up objects from the floor correctly. .
Assistive devices can make it easier to avoid stressing your painful joints, such as a kitchen knife equipped with a hand grip helps protect your finger and wrist joints.
Surgery
Surgery can help to repair damaged joints that do not respond to medications that prevent or slow joint damage. It may help restore your ability to use your joint and reduce pain and improve function.
Rheumatoid arthritis surgery may involve one or more of the following procedures.
Synovectomy
Synovectomy is the removal of the inflamed lining of the joint, or synovium.The surgical procedure can be performed after an athroscopy is done and involves the removal the synovial tissue surrounding the joint that has become inflamed and swollen.
Tendon repair
Tendons around your joint may loosen or rupture due to inflammation and joint damage. This treatment involves making one or more small incisions in the skin over the damaged tendon and stitching the ends of the tendon together. The surrounding tissue is also rxamined for injuries to the blood vessels or nerves.
Joint fusion
Fusing a joint may be recommended to stabilize or realign a joint and for pain relief when a joint replacement isn't an option. This procedure fuses together two bones to become one solid bone, making your joint more stable and allowing weightbearing on it. Joint fusion surgery is performed on the spine, wrists, ankles, fingers and feet.
Makoplasty
Makoplasty surgery involces removing the damaged parts of your joint and inserting a prosthesis made of metal and plastic to allow mobility.
