How is rheumatoid arthritis treated?

Condition analysis:
RA can be effectively treated and managed with medication(s) and self-management strategies. Treatment for RA usually includes the use of medications which slow disease and prevent joint deformity, called disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs); biological response modifiers (biologicals) are medications that are an effective second-line treatment.  In addition to medications, people can manage their RA with self-management strategies proven to reduce pain and disability, allowing them to pursue the activities important to them. People with RA can relieve pain and improve joint function by learning to use five simple and effective arthritis management strategies.

Instructions:
Let automatic appliances do the work for you. Electric can openers and knives, for instance, are easier to operate than manual versions. An electric toothbrush has a wider handle than a regular toothbrush.

Keep your stuff within easy reach. Adjust the shelves and racks in any storage area so that you don't have to strain to reach the items you need. Buy clothes with pockets to hold things you use often and need close by, like a pair of glasses or pen and paper. Use an apron with pockets to carry cleaning supplies with you as you do your household chores.

Use a "helping hand" to extend your reach. For those items you can't store within arm's reach, buy a long-handled gripper, the kind used in grocery shops to grab items from top shelves. Make household chores easier with a long-handled or extendable feather duster or scrub brush. Grab your clothes from the dryer with an extended-reach tool to avoid bending and stooping over and over.

Go with Velcro. Interlocking cloth closures (better known as Velcro) on clothing and shoes can save you the frustration of buttoning or lacing with stiff, painful fingers.

Walk this way up and down the stairs. Lead with your stronger leg going up, and lead with your weaker leg coming down.