Arthritis in Seniors: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Options

Exams and Tests

The health care provider will perform a physical exam and ask about your medical history.

The physical exam may show:

– Fluid in or around a joint
– Warm, red, tender joints
– Difficulty moving a joint (called “limited range of motion”)

Some types of arthritis may cause joint deformity. Exercise can help relieve stiffness, reduce pain and fatigue, and improve muscle and bone strength. The goal of treatment is to:

– Reduce pain and inflammation
– Improve function
– Prevent further joint damage

LIFESTYLE CHANGES

Lifestyle changes are the preferred treatment for osteoarthritis and other types of joint swelling. This might include:

– Heat or ice. Your health care team can help you design anexercise programthat is best for you.

Exercise programs may include:

– Low-impact aerobic activity (also called endurance exercise) such as walking
– Range of motion exercises for flexibility
– Strength training for muscle tone

Your provider may suggest physical therapy. This is often needed for rheumatoid arthritis. – Splints or orthotics to support joints and help improve their position. – Massage. – Water therapy. Sleeping 8 to 10 hours a night and taking naps during the day can help you recover from a flare-up more quickly, and may even help prevent flare-ups.

Other things you can do include:

– Get plenty of sleep. – Avoid positions or movements that place extra stress on your sore joints. – Avoid staying in one position for too long. For example, install grab bars in the shower, the tub, and near the toilet. – Makechanges in your hometo make activities easier. – Eat a healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, which contain essential vitamins and minerals. – Try stress-reducing activities, such as meditation, yoga, or tai chi. – Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol consumption. – Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as cold-water fish (salmon, mackerel, and herring), flaxseed, rapeseed (canola) oil, soybeans, soybean oil, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts.

You may feel improvement after applying the cream for 3 to 7 days. – Apply capsaicin cream over your painful joints. Weight loss can greatly improve joint pain in the legs and feet. – Lose weight, if you are overweight.

MEDICINES

Medicines may be prescribed along with lifestyle changes. – Use a cane to reduce pain from hip, knee, ankle, or foot arthritis. You should be closely followed by a provider when takingarthritis medicines, even ones you buy over-the-counter.

Over-the-counter medicines:

– Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is often the first medicine tried to reduce pain. All medicines have some risks. To prevent damage to your liver, do not take more than the recommended dose.

Take up to 3,000 mg a day (2 extra-strength Tylenol every 8 hours). Also, avoid alcohol when taking acetaminophen. Since multiple medicines are available without a prescription that also contain acetaminophen, you will need to include them in the 3,000 mg per day maximum. nonetheless, they can carry risks when used for a long time. – Aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that can relieve arthritis pain.

Depending on the type of arthritis, a number of other medicines may be prescribed:

– Corticosteroids (steroids) help reduce inflammation. Possible side effects include heart attack,stroke,stomach ulcers, bleeding from the digestive tract, and kidney damage. – Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are used to treat autoimmune arthritis and SLE. They may be injected into painful joints or given by mouth. They may be given by injection or by mouth. – Biologics and kinase inhibitors are used for the treatment of autoimmune arthritis.

It is very essential to take your medicines as directed by your provider. – For gout, certain medicines to lower uric acid levels may be used. Also make sure your provider knows about all the medicines you are taking, including vitamins and supplements bought without a prescription.

SURGERY AND OTHER TREATMENTS

In some cases, surgery or other treatments may be done if initial treatments have not worked and severe damage to a joint occurs.

This may include:

– Joint replacement, such as atotal knee joint replacement. If you are having problems doing so (for example, because of side effects), you should talk to your provider.

Outlook (Prognosis)

A few arthritis-related disorders can be completely cured with proper treatment. – Orthobiologic therapies are an emerging group of therapies that may be used to improve symptoms and delay progression of osteoarthritis. Aggressive forms of some arthritic conditions may have considerable effects on mobility and may lead to involvement of other body organs or systems.

Possible Complications

Complications of arthritis include:

– Long-term (chronic) pain
– Disability
– Difficulty performing daily activities

When to Contact a Medical Professional

Contact your provider if:

– Your joint pain persists beyond 3 days. Yet, many of these disorders become long-term (chronic) health problems but can often be well-controlled. – The affected joint is significantly swollen. – You have severe unexplained joint pain. – Your skin around the joint is red or hot to the touch. – You have a hard time moving the joint.