Articles on rheumatic and autoimmune conditions: joint pain and stiffness, inflammation, the blood tests involved and how long-term treatment is managed.
Scleroderma treatment can control many of the condition's effects, including Raynaud's attacks, reflux, joint stiffness and, in many people, the pace of skin thickening…
Physical therapy for reactive arthritis usually begins with gentle range-of-motion movements to keep inflamed joints from stiffening, then adds low-load strengthening and walking or…
See a rheumatologist for scleroderma when symptoms cluster rather than appear alone: fingers that turn white or blue in the cold together with puffy…
Big toe pain usually warrants a gout assessment when the joint becomes hot, swollen and intensely painful within hours, when it is your first…
Ankylosing spondylitis is not only a young man's disease. It most often begins between the late teens and early thirties and is diagnosed more…
Physical therapy for psoriatic arthritis uses individually prescribed strengthening, range-of-motion, aerobic and posture work to protect joints, tendons and muscles between flares, while teaching…
Before joint replacement, guidelines ask people with osteoarthritis to try a stepwise non-surgical plan: a structured exercise and strengthening program, weight management where relevant,…
Protecting hands and feet from cold with scleroderma means keeping the whole body warm, not just the fingers: layered clothing, insulated gloves and socks…
Swelling in the same joints on both sides of the body, especially the knuckles, wrists or toes, together with morning stiffness that lasts longer…
Bring any eye examination reports (including Schirmer or tear-film results), dental records and recent X-rays, a dated timeline of dryness, fatigue and joint symptoms,…
Fibromyalgia is a recognized chronic pain condition, not an imaginary or purely psychological one. Research points to altered pain processing in the brain and…
A first juvenile idiopathic arthritis appointment usually involves a detailed history, a head-to-toe joint examination, and often blood tests or imaging to look for…
Children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis are generally encouraged to stay physically active and attend school fully, with activity adjusted rather than stopped. Regular, moderate…
Preventive antibiotics after rheumatic fever, known as secondary prophylaxis, are taken continuously to stop new strep infections from triggering another attack and further heart…
Sjogren's syndrome reduces saliva, and saliva is the mouth's built-in defense against decay, so people with the condition face a higher risk of cavities,…
Reactive arthritis usually settles on its own, but slowly. Joint pain and swelling typically begin one to four weeks after a gut or genital…
ESR and CRP are blood tests that measure inflammation. In polymyalgia rheumatica they are usually raised, often clearly above the laboratory's reference range, which…
Most psoriatic arthritis treatments that control the underlying disease take weeks to months to show their full effect. Anti-inflammatory painkillers and steroid injections can…
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