Doctors sometimes prescribe the steroid prednisone to help tame inflammation in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), especially early in the illness. Although this medication reduces disease activity, dosing must be carefully controlled so that its side effects, such as loss of bone density, don’t outweigh its benefit.  read more »

People with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are likely to get the best relief from joint pain and tenderness if they take a combination of medications, according to a new report.  read more »

Neck pain can be significantly eased by strength-training the muscles in the neck, according to a new report.

Neck pain is the second most common muscle pain complaint (behind back pain), and women are more likely to suffer from it than men.  read more »

A recent Swedish study followed a group of 698 people with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to see whose disease would go into remission.  read more »

Gout, a form of arthritis, causes sharp pain and redness in a joint—often a big toe—due to the buildup of uric acid crystals there. Two recent studies have extended our understanding of what triggers gout.  read more »

This March, the Arthritis Foundation will launch a year-long national education and awareness program on rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It will offer a free guide to help people with RA talk more effectively with their doctors. There will also be 10 “town hall” meetings across the country where people can ask RA experts how to manage their disease. A foundation survey found that nearly 70% of people treated for RA experience stiffness, fatigue, or pain every day. To receive the best care, these people need to clearly describe their symptoms and specify how the disease is affecting their life.  read more »

Orencia is one of the latest in the line of biologic agents approved to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Targeting the immune system’s T cells, Orencia works early in the inflammatory process. Most other biologic agents quiet RA activity by interfering with inflammatory signals such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha. Orencia is reserved for people with moderate to severe RA who have not responded to older disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) or TNF blockers. It is given in a 30-minute infusion every 4 weeks and can be used along with DMARDs (but not TNF blockers).  read more »

The risk of experiencing significant side effects from corticosteroids increases with long-term use. That’s true even for people taking low doses, according to researchers who surveyed 2,446 people who had been treated with prednisone or a similar medication.  read more »

People who are obese are more likely to have hip osteoarthritis, and so more likely to need hip replacement. Unfortunately, they’re also at higher risk for surgical complications—especially women, new research shows.  read more »

According to the Arthritis Foundation, juvenile arthritis (JA) is still largely unknown to the public and is often misdiagnosed by primary care doctors.  read more »

Water therapy and Tai Chi, the ancient Chinese art of gentle movements, have seemed like naturals in helping to reduce osteoarthritis (OA) symptoms among older people.  read more »