Medical treatment

There is no no definitive cure to come to the end of the‘arthritis. In general, the pharmaceuticals help reduce symptoms specific to inflammation, such as pain and swelling, or work directly at the source of inflammatory processes to slow disease progression.

If the drugs no longer work and the loss of function in a joint is severe, your doctor may suggest a joint reconstruction or replacement surgery.

Consult the sheets in our special Arthritis section for an overview of the medical treatments specific to each type of arthritis.

Complementary approaches

No alternative or traditional approach could claim to treat arthritis completely, so beware of promises of “miraculous cure”. Complementary approaches can, however, help to relieve symptoms. This is the case, for example, with glucosamine to reduce pain associated with osteoarthritis.

To find out more, consult each of the sheets in our special Arthritis section.