Treating and Managing Arthritis

There are a number of effective non-medication options available to treat and manage arthritis. Learn more about all options available to help your patients find the management plan that works for them.

Clinical Practice Guidelines

When treating arthritis, it is important to know what treatment and management strategies are best practice.

ACR has developed clinical practice guidelinesExternalexternal icon for several types of arthritis. Treatments vary depending on the type of arthritis, but it is always good to work with your patient to create a treatment plan that is right for them. Many people with arthritis prefer non-medication treatments. See the Pain Management without Medications section below for more information.To learn more about treating specific types of arthritis, visit the NIAMS page on types of arthritis and rheumatic diseasesExternalexternal icon.

Pain Management without Medications

Effective pain management is an important part of treating arthritis and can improve quality of life for patients with arthritis. There are multiple ways for adults with arthritis to reduce their pain without using medications and risking their side effects. Studies have shown physical activity to be an effective way to manage arthritis pain. To learn more, see the “Encouraging Self-Management” section below.

Learn more about managing joint pain and arthritis pain and living with severe joint pain.

Visit the Arthritis Foundation’s pages on arthritis pain managementExternalexternal icon and tips for managing chronic painExternalexternal icon.

Medication Guides

There are many medications used to treat arthritis and its symptoms.

Learn about prescription arthritis medications

• ACR’s medication guidesExternalexternal icon
• Arthritis Foundation’s Arthritis Today drug guideExternalexternal icon

Learn about using over-the-counter medications to treat arthritis symptoms:

• Arthritis Foundation’s Understanding Over-the-Counter Pain Medication infographicpdf iconexternal icon

Medication Assistance Programs

Some patients may need help paying for their arthritis medication.

• For general medication assistance, refer your patients to the RxAssist patient assistance programs databaseExternalexternal icon.
• For arthritis-specific medication assistance, see ACR’s medication assistance programs handout Cdc-pdf[PDF-104KB]Externalpdf iconexternal icon, which lists assistance programs for many prescription arthritis medications.

You also can visit the Arthritis Foundation’s page on paying for arthritis treatmentExternalexternal icon.

Opioids Versus Non-opioids for Pain Relief

In light of the current opioid epidemic, providers are paying more attention to when it is most appropriate to prescribe opioid medications for pain. CDC published guidelines on prescribing opioids for chronic pain.

To learn more about the use of opioids versus non-opioids to treat osteoarthritis and back pain, read this article from the Annals of Internal Medicine comparing the effectiveness of nonopioids and opioids on easing painExternalexternal icon.

Monitoring Your Patient’s Progress Throughout Treatment

After you and your patient have established a treatment plan, make sure to follow up to see if he or she is acting on recommendations and if these have been effective.

Check with your arthritis patient to see if he or she is:

• Using self-management strategies.
• Engaging in arthritis-appropriate physical activity, such as walking or water aerobics.
• Maintaining a healthy weight.

To learn more about encouraging these self-management strategies, see the Encouraging Self-Management section.