There are more than 100 types of arthritis and related conditions, and they affect at least 54 million adults and 300,000 children in the United States including Black Americans who experience more undiagnosed, debilitating pain than any other racial or ethnic group, according to the Arthritis Foundation.
Fortunately, there are also many medications, non-medication options, lifestyle changes and surgeries available to help you manage arthritis pain and other symptoms.
“We’ve really come a long way in the past decade in terms of helping our patients live relatively symptom-free lives,” Scripps Clinic rheumatologist Dr. Kavitta Allem explains in an interview for San Diego Health.
Let’s take a look at the most common arthritis treatments recommended by experts, whether they’re for osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, or psoriatic arthritis.
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Arthritis medications
The Arthritis Foundation lists six main types of medication to help treat arthritis symptoms:
- Analgesics: painkillers such as over-the-counter acetaminophen and prescribed opioids
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): inflammation and pain-reducing medications, including over-the-counter aspirin and certain prescribed drugs like celecoxib (Celebrex)
- Corticosteroids: fast-acting medications that mimic your natural cortisol to help reduce joint inflammation, especially over the short term
- Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs): slow-acting anti-inflammatory medications to treat arthritis symptoms over the longer term
- Targeted DMARDs: synthetic DMARDs that block parts of the immune system to reduce inflammation
- Biologics: natural (cell-derived) DMARDs that block parts of the immune system to reduce inflammation.
U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) joint specialist Dr. Michael Ombrello notes in a newsletter that biologics can be particularly helpful for treating severe arthritis in children.
“Biologics have really changed the face of juvenile arthritis,” he says, explaining that the medication helps reduce children’s reliance on wheelchairs and crutches.
For additional on arthritis medications, American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) spokesperson Maura Iversen recommends the Arthritis Foundation’s Drug Guide as a useful tool to help understand “what the medication is, what it targets in your body, how long it takes to work, [and] what are some potential side effects.”
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Non-medication arthritis treatments
There are several natural ways to manage your arthritis pain. The Arthritis Foundation states that eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, applying heat and cold to your joints, and taking short 15-minute breaks to rest throughout the day can
