If you or a loved one is diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, the most pragmatic thing to do would be to first understand what the treatment options are. Take the time to find out whether there is only one kind of standard treatment or a combination of treatments. More importantly, determine which treatment is appropriate for you. Rheumatoid arthritis treatment must typically address the following concerns:

• Inflammation and associated pain
• Damage caused to bones, flexible joints, and other organs of the body
• The speed of progression of this auto-immune disorder
• The side effects of medication
• Mobility and physical functioning

Rheumatoid arthritis cannot be prevented or cured completely. However, the management of this condition is possible. There are a variety of medicines and surgical procedures that help treat rheumatoid arthritis:

1. Painkillers
When there is a pain, the most widespread tendency is to instantly pop an over-the-counter painkiller to alleviate it. It is no different for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. But, apart from temporary pain relief, there is no other advantage of these medications. If there is acute pain, doctors sometimes prescribe opioids too.

2. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
NSAIDs, on the other hand, work to reduce pain and local inflammation. These are available in many forms (as over-the-counter medicines or prescription drugs). They need to be taken orally or as topical gels and creams that can be applied over the affected joints.

3. Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs)
DMARDs are precisely what doctors commonly advice as preferential treatment for rheumatoid arthritis nowadays. These effective medicines show quick results. They slow or halt the progress of the auto-immune disorder by acting on the immune system and preventing it from damaging the bones, joints, and other organs.

4. Surgery
If the damage to bones and joints are severe and have been persistent for many years and other forms of treatment have not yielded many effective results, surgery would be an option suggested by the physician, quite often as a last resort. Surgery can be performed for three reasons:

• Damaged to worn-out joints in the body can be repaired, especially if rheumatoid arthritis is in its early stages. In joint repair surgery, joints are realigned by performing arthroscopic surgery to reduce pain and improve functional movement.
• The most common areas considered for replacement surgery are the hip joints and knee joints. Surgery is performed as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis where the damaged joints are replaced with artificial ones.
• An arthrodesis or joint fusion surgery is carried out in patients with advanced rheumatoid arthritis. The goal here is to fuse impaired smaller joints in the ankle, wrist, fingers, or feet to lessen pain significantly. The joint, however, will never be able to bend again.