This will help support the muscles and tendons around it. Your doctor may refer you to an occupational therapist or a physiotherapist fizz-ee-oh-thair-row-pist. An occupational therapist can help you find ways to stop your pain getting worse and show you how to work or do tasks without putting too much strain on your joints.
They can show you equipment, aids or adaptations. Equipment such as hand and wrist supports, or heel and shoe pads can help ease your inflammation and pain. Ice packs and heat pads can also help with joint pain and swelling. Remember to protect your skin by wrapping a cloth around the pack.
You can either buy an ice pack from a pharmacy or use a bag of frozen vegetables, wrapped in a damp towel. Place the pack on your affected joint for 10 to 20 minutes. Check the skin colour under the ice pack at least once during that time.
The area should be very pink and should never have a blue tinge. The ice pack can be re-applied every two hours. Heat packs can be useful if your muscles around the joint feel sore and tense. You can use reusable heat pads, a microwaveable wheat bag, or a hot water bottle, wrapped in a dry towel, on the painful area for up to 20 minutes.
If the area starts to feel too warm, place an extra towel between the heat pack and your skin. This is called aspiration. Once the inflammation has gone down, you may be given a steroid injection into the joint.
This is often used to help with knee pain. If your reactive arthritis is bad, you may need a steroid injected into a muscle. This will help the steroid spread through your body. Alternatively, you may be given low-dose steroid tablets, which often work very well in the short term. DMARDs work on the underlying condition, rather than treating symptoms. They're not painkillers, but they'll reduce pain, swelling and stiffness over weeks or months by slowing down the condition and its effects on the joints.
There are two kinds you may be prescribed for reactive arthritis: conventional DMARDs and biological therapies. They can take between six weeks and six months to work. DMARDs can cause changes in your blood or liver, so it's important to have regular blood tests while taking them. Methotrexate and sulfasalazine can sometimes make you feel sick, have diarrhoea, headaches or lose your appetite, at first.
These are common side effects and should clear up, once your body gets used to the drug. These are also called biologics. You should also see your doctor if you come into contact with anyone who has chickenpox or shingles, or if you develop chickenpox or shingles yourself.
If you are prescribed a drug you may find more information about it here. Learn about the drugs used to treat arthritis including what they're prescribed for, how to take them, who should take them, risks and side-effects.
When your joints are inflamed and painful, you can feel tired and generally unwell. Fatigue plays a major role in reactive arthritis and can have a huge impact on all aspects of your life.
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Menopause and memory: Know the facts. Inflammation sites Open pop-up dialog box Close. Inflammation sites Inflammation often affects these sites in people with reactive arthritis. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Reactive arthritis. Accessed Sept.
Yu DT. Reactive arthritis. American College of Rheumatology. What is reactive arthritis? Arthritis Foundation. Related Inflammation sites. Associated Procedures X-ray.
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