Arthritis is a disease that causes inflammation of the joints, according to the book "Pathologic Basis of Disease" by Ramzi Cotran. Because of inflammation, the joints become very painful and difficult to move. Arthritis comes in two major forms, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Both forms cause joint inflammation, but rheumatoid arthritis is the most crippling and it can occur at any age. The Arthritis Foundation reports that there are over 100 forms of arthritis, but the disease does respond to treatment.
Step 1
Find a physician who specializes in arthritis. According to the Arthritis Foundation, not all physicians are qualified to provide arthritis pain remedies. The ones best qualified are subspecialty trained rheumatologists, although family practice and internal medicine specialists may also have sufficient experience to treat the condition.
Step 2
Choose a treatment type for arthritis pain relief based on the level of pain. The amount of pain that arthritis is causing determines the level of treatment aggressiveness that the patient should pursue, according to the Mayo Clinic. The patient can choose between several basic forms of treatment, including joint creams, pain relief tablets, physical therapy and surgery.
Step 3
See a physical therapist. According to the Cleveland Clinic, several types of physical therapy can help relieve arthritis pain. A physical therapist may recommend rest, thermal treatments such as ice or heat packs, range of motion exercises, or joint assistive or supportive devices.
Step 4
Choose a type of pain relief cream. According to the Massachusetts General Hospital Handbook of Internal Medicine, patients can choose creams containing menthol or eucalyptus to distract them from arthritis pain. Patients can also use topical anesthetics that have localized aspirin-like properties. The third choice is to use a cream containing capsaicin, which also distracts from arthritis joint pain by causing a brief local burning sensation.
Step 5
Choose an oral pain remedy for arthritis pain relief. According to the Massachusetts General Hospital Handbook of Internal Medicine, the basic options are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, called NSAIDS, which include ibuprofen, or narcotic pain medications such as morphine. Each patient must decide with his physician which of the choices is safest and most effective for his own needs.
Step 6
Discuss surgical options with your physician. According to the Mayo Clinic, several surgical options exist for treating arthritis pain, ranging from looking inside the joint and removing diseased tissue to total joint replacement. The type of surgery depends on the joints that are causing the most pain and the level of pain the person is experiencing.
Things You'll Need
- Medication prescription
- Pain relief gel
- Pain medication
- Ice
References
- Mayo Clinic: Osteoarthritis
- "Pathologic Basis of Disease"; Ramzi Cotran; 1999
- "Massachusetts General Hospital Handbook of Internal Medicine"; Marc Sabatine; 2004
- Arthritis Foundation: Pain Management
- Cleveland Clinic: Occupational and Physical Therapy for Arthritis
