Medical News Drug Database NSAID's DMARD's Analgesics Other Drugs Surgical Treatment Physiotherapy Occupational Therapy Diets & Supplements

Medical News
This section of the website looks at ways that arthritis can be treated. There are many different ways to treat most forms of arthritis and at any one time any arthritis sufferer will benefit from help in many ways. As in many other situations everyone needs to help themselves first and part of this is understanding your condition. To learn to adapt to having arthritis sometimes means working around your arthritis, not necessarily doing less but pacing what you do and protecting your joints in the process.

Research into new treatment
Each month we will scan the medical literature for new ideas and treatment that will affect the care of arthritis sufferers. This may include drugs, research, social provision; what ever we feel will interest you most. We cannot hope to cover all developments in each field and because we are a local website we hope to focus on things which are most important to our local health needs.

Current Drug Treatments
We have a comprehensive database of drugs that are used for arthritis treatments. We try and suggest the pros and cons of each but please remember the person leading your care knows you better than us and can help you reach the best choice. Sometimes it can't be predicted which drug will help each individual and we must try each in turn to see. The reality may often mean taking several drugs simultaneously to get the best benefits but doing this can also help to minimize side effects. Click here to view our database.

Surgical Treatments
For joints already damaged by arthritis sometimes surgery offers the best improvement in function. We offer a guide of which problems surgery can help but the list is not exhaustive and so you can always ask your physician if they feel surgery may benefit you. Surgery has several different aims depending on the procedure done. Sometimes it can be used to prevent further deterioration in joint structures, sometimes to correct an area of damage. At other times surgery can be used to give effective pain relief.

Physical Treatments
Joints are dynamic structures and can do a lot to heal themselves if you help them. We look at how physiotherapy, occupational therapy, dietary changes, and lifestyle modification can help you. Although your team of professionals spend considerable time treating you it can sometimes be better to think of them as teachers who can give you the skills to continue treating and helping yourself.