KNEE & HIP Replacement Center

Treatments

What are the treatment options for arthritis?

Because there are so many types of arthritis, each type of arthritis has different symptoms and treatments. The good news is there are many ways to help control arthritis. Care for arthritis often involves more than one type of treatment. Treatment may vary over time and may be different depending on the kind of arthritis. Consult your doctor to discuss the best treatment options for you.

There are three basic categories of treatments, and your plan may involve one, two, or all three. Brief details are provided here and you can also go to individual sections for each option. Click the links to these sections for detailed information that may help.

Lifestyle Changes
It's hard to make changes in your life, but altering some small daily habits can make a big difference to the way you feel every day. Think about:
- Exercise: Regular exercise is important to keep the body moving and flexible. It may:
  - lessen pain
  - increase movement
  - reduce fatigue
  - and it helps you look and feel better!
- Control your weight: Reducing stress on your joints may help ease pain.
- Use Heat or Cold: Use of heat or cold over joints may provide short-term relief from pain and stiffness.
- Pace Yourself: Pacing helps protect your joints by alternating periods of activity with periods of rest so that your joints don't tire from the stress of repeated tasks.
- Protect Your Joints: Joints can be protected by learning to use them in ways that avoid excess stress.
  - Avoid using sore and weak joints: unless larger joints are sore, for example, it is best to use them when carrying heavy items.
  - Walk with assistive devices like a cane.
- Build Your Self-Help Skills: You can learn ways to better manage how arthritis affects you emotionally by talking about your feelings with family members and friends, doing mental exercises, and by joining your local arthritis support group.
Tell me more about lifestyle changes

Medications
Many medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, are used to treat arthritis. Medications may help ease the pain and/or help you sleep. Some medications can help change the way arthritis affects your body. Common medications are:
- aspirin-free pain relievers
- anti-inflammatory drugs
- corticosteroids
- disease modifying drugs
- sleep medications
Tell me more about medication.
Surgery
Most people will not need surgery, but in many cases surgery may be effective in minimizing or eliminating pain when other treatment methods have failed.

Not all surgical procedures are alike. In fact, many advances have been made recentlyallowing surgical procedures that are much less invasive. Such minimally invasive procedures are revolutionizing the way patients experience and recover from surgery. New procedures may allow for:
- less postoperative pain
- a faster recovery period
- a shorter hospital stay
Tell me more about surgical procedures.

Women have special needs because their knees are different in shape and size from men's knees. A new knee replacement is now available that is shaped to fit a woman's anatomy.

Next> Lifestyle Changes