How to Manage Your Rheumatoid Arthritis: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments

How to Manage Your Rheumatoid Arthritis: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments

Living with rheumatoid arthritis can feel like an uphill battle that you never signed up for. Dealing with the pain, the unpredictability of flare-ups, and the ongoing need to adjust your daily routine to preserve normalcy in your life can be physically and psychologically taxing. Let us endeavour to enhance our comprehension of the signs, causes, treatments, and some examples.

RA in the knee can significantly impair mobility and daily activities, leading to pain, swelling, stiffness, and instability.

RA in the knee can significantly impair mobility and daily activities, leading to pain, swelling, stiffness, and instability. Daily living tips involve pacing activities and wearing supportive footwear. Effective management of RA in the knee requires a combination of treatment, lifestyle changes, and self-care.

  • Early-stage Rheumatoid Arthritis in Hands

RA usually hits the small joints in your wrists, hands, and fingers. RA in its early stages is characterised by joint pain, stiffness, and swelling, especially in the hands. In this stage, inflammation occurs within the joint without causing bone damage, but the joint lining (synovium) becomes inflamed. Symptoms may not be easily noticeable, making diagnosis challenging for doctors. 

Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms

Smaller joints, especially those connecting your toes and fingers to your feet, are typically the first to be affected by early-stage RA. As the illness progresses, however, symptoms often extend to the shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, ankles, and wrists. Typically, the same joints on both sides of the body experience symptoms. Furthermore, symptoms affecting organs other than joints, such as the skin, eyes, heart, kidneys, salivary glands, nerve tissue, bone marrow, and blood vessels, may also be present in about half of RA patients. 

Symptoms can vary in severity and may fluctuate between periods of flare-ups and remission, potentially leading to joint deformities over time. There are several symptoms associated with RA, including 

  • Tender, warm, and swollen joints
  • Morning stiffness
  • Fatigue
  • Fever 
  • Loss of appetite.
  • Experience fatigue and exhaustion 
  • Not feeling hungry at all (bad appetite)
  • Reducing body weight
  • Experiencing a fever or elevated temperature
  • Excessive perspiration
  • Dry, irritated eyes
  • Inflammatory chest pain.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Causes

An immune system that is normally responsible for protecting your body against infections goes awry in RA and begins attacking the healthy tissue in your joints. It can be influenced by several factors:

  • Age: RA typically manifests itself in middle age, though it can occur at any age.
  • Sex: Women have two to three times more chances of getting it than men.
  • Genetics: A combination of genetic predisposition and environmental factors, such as smoking and diet, contributes to the risk. Having a relative with RA may increase one's likelihood of developing the condition.
  • Weight: Being overweight significantly raises the risk of RA. A healthy Body Mass Index (BMI) is between 18.5 and 24.9; higher BMI categories indicate overweight or obesity.
  • Smoking: Cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for developing RA.
  • Diet: High consumption of red meat and low intake of vitamin C may also increase the risk of RA. 

Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment

Treatments for RA focus on lowering inflammation in the joints, easing pain, avoiding joint damage, and preserving activity levels. Although there is no cure, the condition's effects can be lessened with early intervention using drugs, dietary adjustments, and supportive therapies. Treatment typically involves a general practitioner and various specialists. Medications are categorised into two main types:

  • Disease-Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drugs (DMARDs) 

DMARDs, such as methotrexate, leflunomide, and hydroxychloroquine, are often the first line of treatment and help slow disease progression. Methotrexate is commonly prescribed but may have side effects, necessitating regular monitoring.

  •  Biological treatments.

Biological treatments, like adalimumab and etanercept, are newer options used alongside DMARDs when the latter are ineffective. JAK inhibitors are also available for those who cannot tolerate DMARDs or biologicals.

Pain management may involve painkillers, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and steroids for short-term relief. Supportive therapies, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and podiatry, can enhance joint function and daily living.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Self-care

Here are some chill self-care tips for people dealing with RA:

  • Find Your Balance: Make sure to mix in some rest with your exercise. Rest helps with inflammation and tiredness, while staying active keeps your muscles strong and flexible. Just tweak your activity based on how your RA is feeling.
  • Choose low-impact activities whenever possible: To keep your joints happy, choose low-impact activities like swimming, biking, walking, or aqua aerobics.
  • Heat or Cold Therapy: Use heat to relax those tight muscles and ease pain, and cold packs to numb any discomfort.
  • Handle stress: To prevent flare-ups, keep stress under control with techniques like guided imagery, deep breathing, or muscle relaxation.
  • Give Up Smoking: Smoking aggravates RA symptoms and impairs your capacity to be active.
  • Drop A Few Pounds: Reducing body weight can help reduce inflammation caused by fat cells.
  • Mind Your Teeth: Take care of your dental health to avoid gum disease, which can speed up RA issues.
  • Try Turmeric: This spice might help with pain relief and inflammation.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Surgery

Sometimes, despite medication and treatment, joint problems can get worse or need assistance.

Sometimes, despite medication and treatment, joint problems can get worse or need assistance. In these cases, surgery is necessary to correct or relieve the problem. Various surgical options exist for hand and wrist problems, including:

  • Carpal Tunnel Release: Cutting a wrist ligament to relieve nerve pressure.
  • Tendon release is the method used to treat abnormal finger bending.
  • Inflamed Tissue Removal is the process of removing swollen tissue that surrounds finger joints.
  • Arthroscopy involves using a thin tube with a camera to remove inflamed tissue through small incisions, typically requiring no overnight hospital stay but some recovery time at home.
  • Joint replacement, which involves changing out joints like the hip, knee, or shoulder, may be necessary for people with RA. This procedure usually requires extensive rehabilitation, with prosthetic joints lasting 10 to 20 years, though full functionality may not be restored.

Conclusion: 

Rheumatoid arthritis can make daily life challenging; you have to learn how to deal with the frustration of not being able to do the things you used to be able to do with ease. You have to navigate this condition with such courage and resiliency every day. It’s okay to have tough days, to feel tired, or even to feel angry at times. Remember that you’re doing the best you can, and that is more than enough. Your ability to keep going forward, one step at a time, defines you more than your illness.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can you recover from rheumatoid arthritis?

 A cure for RA hasn’t been discovered yet. With an early diagnosis and appropriate treatment tailored to their needs, an individual can lead a fulfilling life even if they have RA.

2. Can you live a long life with rheumatoid arthritis?

With the development of medical science and new treatment options, people with RA can now live long lives. If you can manage your symptoms and restore normalcy in your life through therapy, treatment, self-care, and the support of those around you, you can live a long and normal life.

3. What is the main cause of rheumatoid arthritis?

While the precise cause of RA remains uncertain, several risk factors, including age, gender, environment, hormones, family history, and others, are believed to be linked to the illness.

4. What happens if you have rheumatoid arthritis?

RA is a chronic illness that primarily affects the hands, wrists, and feet. It can cause severe joint damage, as well as weariness, insomnia, weight loss, and problems with sleep and other organs like the kidneys, heart, and lungs. 

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