Rheumatoid Arthritis Medical Reference
- How to Keep Your Relationship Strong Despite a Chronic Condition
Don’t Let RA or another chronic condition derail your close relationship. Here are ways to protect your partnership.
- Living With RA: How to Protect Yourself From COVID-19
When you have RA, you should take special steps to protect yourself from COVID-19. Learn how to stay safe.
- RA: Latest Treatments, What's Still Unknown
Doctors and scientists have learned a lot about rheumatoid arthritis treatment, but some things about this autoimmune condition still aren’t clear. Find out what recent research shows.
- The Cost of Rheumatoid Arthritis
From copays to out-of-pocket expenses, medical care for rheumatoid arthritis adds up. Learn about the costs and ways to help manage them.
- Chiropractic Care for Joint Problems: What to Know
Is chiropractic care an option for your aching joints? Here’s what you need to know to get relief and stay safe.
- How to Track Your Symptoms
Keeping notes on your symptoms can help you and your doctor figure out what’s going on with your health. Get tips on what to track and how to do it.
- First Steps After Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnosis
So your doctor has told you that you have rheumatoid arthritis. Now what? You can do a number of things to meet the challenges of having RA.
- Best Shoes for Rheumatoid Arthritis
The shoes you wear can make a difference in your rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. Learn more about how to choose comfortable shoes when you have RA.
- How to Find Rheumatoid Arthritis Support
When you have rheumatoid arthritis, a good support team is essential. These tips will help you find what you need.
- Conditions You May Have Along With RA
Rheumatoid arthritis isn’t just a joint disease. See how it impacts every part of your body.
- Why Do Your Joints Hurt?
Your joints can hurt for lots of different reasons. Learn more about some of the most common causes of joint pain.
- Recovery After Rheumatoid Arthritis Surgery: What to Expect
If you’ve had one of the several types of surgeries for rheumatoid arthritis, here’s what you might expect during your recovery.
- When You’re Seronegative for RA
If your doctor tells you that you’re “seronegative” for RA, this is what that means.
- How to Adapt Exercises for Rheumatoid Arthritis
You can and should work out when you have rheumatoid arthritis. Follow this advice to do it safely.
- RA and Inflammatory Bowel Disease: What's the Link?
You’re more prone to gut issues if you have rheumatoid arthritis. Find out what you can do to ease them and the possible causes.
- Conditions That Can Look Like RA
Many conditions have symptoms that that look like those of RA. Find out what they are and how to tell the difference.
- Why RA Is Different for Everyone
Rheumatoid arthritis can look very different in different people. Learn more about how RA symptoms and treatments may vary.
- RA Treatment: When In-Person Treatment is Necessary
When you’re social distancing, you can get most of your routine RA treatment through telemedicine. But some things, like urgent care, mean you need to see the doctor in person. Learn when in-person care is necessary and how to handle it safely.
- Getting RA Support While Social Distancing
Try these tips to help you get support while staying safe at home.
- Rheumatoid Arthritis and Your Eyes
When you think about symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, pain and swelling in your joints quickly come to mind. But RA can also cause problems for your eyes. Learn how.
- How Does Alcohol Affect Rheumatoid Arthritis?
How does drinking alcohol affect you when you have rheumatoid arthritis? Is it OK to drink? Can it help? What do I need to know?
- Pannus and Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA): The Basics
Pannus is extra growth in your joints that can cause pain, swelling, and damage to your bones, cartilage, and other tissue. It most often results from rheumatoid arthritis, and advances in RA treatment have made it less likely than before.
- How to Manage Morning Stiffness
Do you wake up each morning with stiff hands or fingers? Morning stiffness is common in rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions. Gentle stretches, heat treatments, and both OTC and prescription medications may help you loosen stiff joints and even prevent this symptom.
- Yoga Poses to Ease Chronic Pain
Try these yoga poses to ease RA pain.
- Infusion Treatments for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Some RA drugs come as infusions. Learn about how this treatment works and the side effects it can cause.
- How to Manage Your RA If You Can’t Visit Your Doctor
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is often treated with hydroxychloroquine. But the drug has been in short supply during the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s what to know about managing your RA during this time, including if you can’t visit your doctor.
- Range of Motion Exercises for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Do these range of motion exercises to help build your flexibility despite having rheumatoid arthritis.
- RA May Affect Your Life Expectancy
Does RA cause a shorter life span? Find out how high disease activity can affect life expectancy and cause health complications, plus steps you can take to live a longer, more enjoyable life.
- Rheumatoid Arthritis vs. Osteoarthritis: What’s the Difference?
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) cause pain and joint damage, but they’re very different diseases. Learn more about what makes them different, from causes to treatments -- plus a drug-free approach to pain relief.
- Can a Plant-based Diet Help With RA?
Several studies suggests that plant-based diets -- specifically vegan diets -- can play a role in managing RA symptoms. Learn how to start a plant-based diet to help ease your RA symptoms.
- Popular Diets and Your RA
Some popular diets may help you lose extra pounds. Less stress on your joints will help your RA symptoms. A plant-based diet can also ease inflammation.
- Trigger Finger Surgery: What to Expect
Your doctor might suggest trigger finger surgery when medication, steroid shots, and exercises don’t help your condition. It has a high success rate, and you’re typically home soon after it’s over.
- Smoking, Drinking, and RA
There’s a lot of confusion about smoking and drinking when you have rheumatoid arthritis. Learn what is and isn’t safe.
- Young Adults Living With RA
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is more likely to appear in middle age, but young adults can get RA, too.
- Medical Marijuana, CBD Oil, and Rheumatoid Arthritis
You may be wondering if marijuana may ease the pain and discomfort from rheumatoid arthritis. Here’s what to know.
- Essential Oils for RA
The science is still evolving about how well essential oils treat rheumatoid arthritis. But they might play a part in your treatment.
- JAK Inhibitors for Rheumatoid Arthritis
If you have rheumatoid arthritis (RA), your doctor may suggest Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors to help ease your joint pain and swelling. Find out how they work, who might benefit from them, and what kind of side effects to watch out for.
- Joint Replacement for Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
If medicine and other treatments aren't working well for your child's juvenile idiopathic arthritis, joint replacement surgery may be an option. Learn about the pros and cons.
- What Is Serial Casting?
If your child has a joint that can’t flex as far as it should, your doctor might put a series of casts on it. Each one would turn the joint a little farther in the direction it needs to go. This is called serial casting.
- Get Pain Relief From Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
If your child's joints ache from juvenile idiopathic arthritis, which used to be called juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, there are many ways to get relief. Learn how NSAIDs, physical therapy, splints, and heat or ice packs can help.
- What Is Soft Tissue Release of Contracture?
If your muscles or other soft tissues harden or stiffen around a joint, you might have trouble flexing it. Surgery can help.
- RA Vaccines and Other New Immune Treatments
Researchers are studying different types of vaccines for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), along with other immune treatments. Could these drugs provide a better way to treat the disease?
- Life Hacks for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Try these tips and tricks for easier living with your condition.
- RA Symptoms You Shouldn't Ignore
Joint pain isn’t the only thing that comes with rheumatoid arthritis. Other symptoms include eye, breathing, and stomach problems that need emergency care.
- How to Manage Depression That Comes With RA
People with rheumatoid arthritis often get depression. Learn how the two conditions are linked and how to treat it.
- RA and Fatigue
Fatigue is more than being tired. It makes you feel like you’re totally out of energy. But there are things you can do to manage it.
- Why Doesn't a Biologic Drug Help My RA Symptoms?
Learn the reasons that your biologic drug may not be improving your rheumatoid arthritis (RA) symptoms as well you'd hoped.
- What Type of RA Do You Have?
If you have rheumatoid arthritis, it is important to understand the similarities and differences of seropositive and seronegative types. Learn more.
- RA and Your Relationships
Rheumatoid arthritis can have an impact on your relationships and social life. But you can do things to manage those issues so you feel good.
- Is Remission Possible With RA?
When you have rheumatoid arthritis, your symptoms can come and go. What causes remission and relapse, and is there anything you can do to keep symptoms away?