Pain Management in Arthritis – Part 1

Pain management and reduced progression of disease are the two most important goals in the treatment of anyone who suffers from arthritis. Pain management can be simple or complex depending upon the type of pain, where it originates and the severity. For example, a sprained ankle is less complex than the treatment of nerve pain or pain syndromes associated with Fibromyalgia.

In most instances, pain management is accomplished through a multidisciplinary team approach, which means that individuals will receive the services of more than one professional group. Specific types of medications will be prescribed which require the use of a pharmacist; physical therapy and exercises will help to reduce painful stimuli in specific instances; neurologists can be helpful in the treatment and diagnosis of nerve pain and most patients will enjoy the services of psychological counseling and support to improve their ability to cope with the pain they must now live with.

Treatment services which will be recommended are guided by the history, intensity, duration, situations which aggravate and relieve the pain as well as structures of the body which are involved in the pain. Physicians will incorporate diagnostic procedures, imaging studies and physical examination in order to completely ascertain the origin of the pain and more effectively recommend treatment protocols.

The type of physician who most often manages pain is an anesthesiologist. However, in the case of individuals who suffer from arthritic conditions, most pain treatment protocols are recommended and followed by rheumatologists. Anesthesiologists are usually physicians who carry an M.D. or a Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.). They provide their services in the hospital or a doctor’s office while individuals who suffer from arthritis will require chronic pain medication they can administer in their own homes.

There are over 100 different diseases that fall under the general term of arthritis. (1) However, the most commonly diagnosed condition is Osteoarthritis from which 27 million Americans suffer. Arthritis is a word that means joint inflammation. Inflammation is the body’s natural reaction to disease or injury but it can also lead to tissue damage.