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What causes rheumatoid arthritis?
Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease, which means joint problems develop when the immune system goes awry and mistakenly attacks healthy tissues. The disease begins when immune cells attack the tissue lining the joint (synovium) and cause inflammation.
The ongoing inflammation gradually affects other soft tissues in the joint, including cartilage and ligaments. Without treatment to stop the inflammation, it eventually erodes the bone, leading to joint deformities.
Rheumatoid arthritis usually begins in small joints in your fingers, hands, and feet. It typically affects several joints, including the same joint on both sides of your body.
What are the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis?
Joint inflammation causes pain, swelling, and stiffness. You may also have joint tenderness and develop a low-grade fever. Fatigue may develop as your body works to fight the constant inflammation.
Rheumatoid arthritis cycles between periods of disease activity (flare-ups) and periods of remission, when inflammation improves and you feel better.
A hallmark symptom is stiffness and pain when you get up in the morning. The severe stiffness typically lasts at least 30 minutes and sometimes for hours.
Rheumatoid arthritis can spread beyond the joints, causing inflammatory conditions in other organs, including the skin, lungs, eyes, and heart. As a result, you’ll have different symptoms depending on which organ is affected.
How is rheumatoid arthritis treated?
Your treatment begins with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). These drugs reduce inflammation, slow progressive joint damage, and help keep the disease in remission.
You may also need over-the-counter or prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Physical therapy is a crucial part of your treatment. Your physical therapist designs a personalized plan to ease pain and improve joint movement.
When rheumatoid arthritis pain flares up or doesn’t improve as much as needed with medication, the team at the Centers of Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine can help with interventional pain management and regenerative medicine treatments.
Your provider may recommend any of the following:
- Corticosteroid injections
- Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections
- Epidural steroid injections
- Selective nerve root blocks
- Spinal cord stimulation
- Radiofrequency ablation
- Peripheral nerve stimulation
- Facet joint injections
- Trigger point injections
Many of these treatments stop pain messages from reaching your brain. However, PRP injections reduce inflammation and help damaged tissues heal.
Call the Centers of Rehabilitation and Pain Medicine or book an appointment online today if you need treatment for rheumatoid arthritis pain.