Non-biologic Treatments for Inflammatory Arthritis

Treatments for inflammatory arthritis is tailored to the specific disease, its symptoms and its severity. Currently there’s no cure for inflammatory arthritis, but there are treatments available to help relieve symptoms.

The main aims of treatment will be to relieve your symptoms, slow the progression of the condition and improve your quality of life.

In most cases, treatment will involve a combination of exercise, physiotherapy and medication.

Painkillers (analgesics) reduce pain and are often used alongside other medications.

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can help relieve swelling (inflammation) in your joints as well as pain. Again, they are often used alongside other medications.

Like all medications, NSAIDs can have side effects. Your doctor will take safety measures to reduce the risk of these, such as prescribing the lowest dose necessary to control your symptoms.

Disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are medications that work by tackling the underlying causes of the excess inflammation in your joints. They can reduce pain, stiffness and swelling in people who have symptoms in areas like the hips, knees, ankles or wrists.

It can take several weeks or months to notice a DMARD working, so it's important to keep taking the medication, even if it doesn't seem to be working at first.

Corticosteroids (steroids) control inflammation but can cause side effects if used for a long time. They can be injected into the muscle or taken in tablet form. While they can be useful for pain and inflammation in joints like your knees, ankles and feet, they are not used for back pain.